New World
by TheWomanWithAMessedUpMind
Summary: Where has Ash ended up? She doesn't know this place? How does she get home? What is it about her that people need her for things? Why can she communicate with fish, or animals in general? Read to find out more. OC is mine. I don't own One Piece. I love the anime and manga. M mostly for the language and maybe some smut.
1. Weird Happenings

**Weird Happenings**

Ash walked down the almost abandoned street. She was tired and just got off of work. She worked on the docks of her seaside town with her bestfriend, Fox. Personally, she hated the town. The town was boring and she just wanted to make enough money to get out and live somewhere else.

"Ash! How are you?!" Suddenly, a small kid was standing next to her. He was around thirteen and had brown hair and green eyes. Ash was eighteen. She had already finished college two years before but didn't pursue her dream job. The kid walked along side her. "What's with the jacket? It's like a hundred degrees out here!"

"Jeremy, I'm not in the mood for you. I just got off of work and I'm really tired." Ash didn't have the energy to deal with him. "Why are aren't you home? It's late. Your mother will be worried." She pulled out her phone. It read 9:45 p.m.

"Because my mom isn't home yet." Ash rolled her eyes. "Do you have work tomorrow?" She nodded. Jeremy started to whine. Ash rubbed her temples as she steadily made her way home.

"Jeremy!" The kid stopped whining and complaining. "Please, go home. I've had a long day and need some rest." She placed a hand on his head as she stopped. "Please. I'll play with you tomorrow." He reluctantly agreed after a moment. Ash took a deep breath and felt better after he was gone. She continued to her house on the hill. It overlooked the ocean.

Unlocking her front door, Ash walked in and quickly shut the door. She slid down to the ground with a sigh. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her face. "Fuck!" she shouted to the darkness of her house. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ahs turned slightly and punched the wall. Her hand went straight through it. "How dare he say that to me! How dare he do that to me! The fuck is wrong with him?! Son of a bitch!" Tears of frustration, anger, sadness, and self-loathing fell down her cheeks.

After a good thirty minutes of cursing, shouting, and crying, Ash decided to get up. Trudging to her bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wanted to punch it but didn't have the money to pay for a new one if she broke this one.

Ash had dirty blond hair that was cut short like a boy's, green-hazel eyes, and slightly tan skin. Dark circles were under her eyes from the sleepless nights she would have. She hated herself. Anger rose in her and she punched the wall next to the mirror. Her fist went through it once again.

Striping her clothes, Ash turned on the shower and got under. She bathed with no emotion. Ash scrubbed her arms and legs. Her mind wandered to that afternoon. Her boss tired to make a move on her for the fiftieth time and she rejected him once again. Her boss got angry and told her that no one would ever want her like he did.

Pain brought her back to the real world. Looking down at her arms and legs, Ash sighed as blood mixed with the water, turning it reddish-pink. She had scrubbed herself raw and made herself bleed. It wasn't anything new. She finished bathing.

Ash turned off the water and exited the shower. Blood dripped down her arms and legs. She wrapped a towel around herself and made her way to the kitchen, trailing blood with her. Ash grabbed the first-aid kit from the top of the fridge. Digging through it, she got out bandages, antiseptic, and cotton balls. She began to clean her wounds. She hissed at the burn from the antiseptic and quickly got herself fixed up.

After that, she went to her room and got dressed for bed. Ash crawled into the bed and hoped to get some sleep. She thought about her day. Ash desperately wanted to get out of this town. It was a horrible town.

...

Ash was awoken by her alarm clock. She reached a hand out of the cover-cave she had made and hit the snooze button. She was able to get some sleep, for once. "This would be the first." Crawling out of the bed, Ash walked to her dresser. Grabbing a shirt and a pair of pants, she struggled to get dressed. With her clothes on, Ash went to the bathroom and grabbed her converse and jacket.

Dressed for work, Ash looked at the living room clock. It was five o' clock. Walking out of her house, she locked the door after her and started her trek to the docks. She dreaded having to see her boss again. Ash tired to think of happy thoughts before getting there.

...

It was getting to high noon and Ash was loading bags onto a ship. She had done it hundreds of times so she was used to the weight of the bags. "Ash! You have ten minutes until your break!" Her only friend in this town was Fox. He was the one that helped her and let her go on breaks.

"Okay. I've got three more bags to get onto this ship." He nodded and walked down the docks. She toted the bag in her arms onto the ship. She was tired and needed a break. She was glad that he informed her of it.

As she walked out of the storage part of the ship, Ash saw three sailors standing in a corner on the deck. They were whispering to each other in hushed voices and kept glancing at her. She didn't like their looks. They made her uncomfortable.

Getting back to the docks, Fox came up to her. "Break time, Ashy. I'll finish loading this ship for you." Ash hugged him and walked away. She sat on the edge of the docks. She had nothing better to do for an hour.

She watched the fish swim around her feet as she swished the tips of her shoes in the water. It was nice to know that the fish liked her. A smile graced her face. Her hatred for herself always disappeared when she was looking a the fish. They didn't hate or dislike her. They didn't even understand what that meant.

Suddenly, Ash was pushed off the side of the docks. Hitting the water, Ash didn't freak out like most people. _Freaking out will only make you sink. I need to keep my cool or I'll drown._ She swam to the surface so that her head was sticking out.

The sailors from before were standing there, laughing at her. "You should've seen your face, lad! It was priceless!" Ash didn't say anything back as she kept herself afloat. Her expression was one of boredom. It wasn't anything new for her.

"That was hilarious! Let's do it again when he gets out!" Ash wanted nothing more that to beat them to a pulp.

"Hey, do you see that?" The third man pointed to the water. Ash looked down but saw nothing at first.

"What're you pointing at, Ron?" Both men turned to se. Their eyes widened. "What the fuck is that?!"

Ash looked back down to see what they were seeing. A serpent-like creature was underneath her. It was humongous. Fear gripped her but she knew better than to move. _A moving target is prey in the eyes of the hunter._ Moving only her arms and legs to keep her afloat, Ash saw it open its large mouth.

She was ready to accept her fate. It got closer to where she was sitting in its mouth. The men ran away, screaming. A second later, the jaws closed around her and she was surrounded in darkness. Her consciousness began to fade and she passed out.

...

"Buffalo! There's a person on the shore! Come on!" The sound of a woman's voice awoke Ash. She couldn't move and there was an excruciating pain in her back. "Hurry up! They might be hurt!" Footfalls made their way over to her.

The person stopped right before her. "They could be an enemy-dasuyan." That was a male voice. She didn't recognize neither voice. The person next to her got to their knees and turned her over. She had no energy to open her eyes. It was like she was paralyzed.

"Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Ash tried to move her mouth but it was difficult. Another person stopped beside her. "She's trying to speak."

"How do you know that they ware a female-dasuyan?" She struggled to speak again. It was frustrating her.

"H-Help...m-me..." Ash's voice was hoarse and quiet. It was hurting her throat to even breathe at this point. "P-Please...I-I need...h-help..." She couldn't move any of her limbs or body other than her mouth. It took a lot of energy to move her lips.

The woman gasped. "S-She needs me." The woman sounded excited. Ash was confused at her reaction. "Don't worry. I'll get you some help. I'll take you back to the palace and get you fixed up." She was even more confused. _Palace? What palace?_

"Baby 5, I don't know how the Young Master will react-dasuyan." The man sounded nervous. She was lifted off the ground and the person started to walk. It hurt every time she moved.

"I can't leave her here! She needs my help! She said that she needed me!" Ash felt as if something was off about the woman. Baby 5 sounded desperate about helping her. It was a change for once. She hardly had people like that at home. Except for Fox. He cared about her a lot.

The walk was long and hard. It felt like an hour passed when she was brought into a shaded place. Her body hurt like hell. They walked for a bit longer before she was set on something soft. The pain in her back was almost to the point of making her pass out. She was able to groan to get her discomfort across to the others.

"Get out of here, Buffalo. I have to strip her." The woman walked away from her and towards where she thought the man was. "I have to clean her wounds. I also need to change because she bled all over me." The door was shut and locked. Baby 5 came back over and started to remove her clothes. "What the-?" Ash knew what she was looking at. Her bandages from the night before were still there.

Her jacket was removed along with her shirt. Baby 5 to take off her shoes and the her pants. After than, the bandage were removed. Baby 5 gasped as she rubbed her arms and legs. Ash wasn't uncomfortable but it was strange to have another woman removing her clothes. Her underwear were the last thing to be removed and a towel was placed over her bottom half.

"I wonder what happened," Baby 5 whispered. Ash could still hear but she couldn't react to her. It was like she was listening to a move but couldn't see what was happening and she could feel everything. She was leaned yo and a liquid was poured down her back.

"AHHHHH!" Her scream tore at her throat. It hurt like hell. She didn't know what she was putting on her but it burned like a bitch.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry Please, don't be mad at me!" Ash wasn't angry. It was just...it had hurt. She knew that the other was just trying to help. She wiped away the liquid and cradled her in her arms. "I'm sorry I hurt you.' She dabbed at the wounds on her arms and legs with the same liquid. It stung but not enough to make her cry out again.

After that, she was bandaged back up. There were bandages over the top part of her torso, arms, and legs. The towel was removed and a blanket was placed over her. Baby 5 laid her back down. The pain was still there.

A bang sounded on the door. "Baby 5! What are you doing?! What is this that Buffalo has been telling me?!" Ash was worried about the woman. The man that spoke sounded angry and his voice was deep, making it more terrifying.

Baby 5 rushed to the door and opened it. "I was just tending to a woman. We found her on the western shore." Footsteps made their way into the room. It felt like a huge presence was standing over her. "She can't talk all that much. She has two puncture wounds on her back."

"Did you get a name from her?" She didn't hear Baby 5's reply. "So, she is just a woman that you picked up off the shore?"

"Yes, sir." Ash tried to move but it was near impossible. "I promise to take care of her. Nobody else will have to."

A large hand was placed on her head. It was way bigger than any person she had ever met, and she had met a lot of people. It moved through her hair. She didn't understand what he was doing. "Fine. She can stay. If I have mission for you, get Dellinger to watch her." Baby 5 agreed and the hand was removed. "I woul dlike to question her when she can speak and move." He left the room.

Ash felt Baby 5 sit on the side of the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair like a mother would to her child. Like her mother did when she would try to get her to calm down and sleep at night. "You're safe here. You can sleep." Ash felt the exhaustion and soreness from her body. She let sleep claim her. _Maybe I will get some answers when I wake up. Maybe I will be able to move and talk by then._

 **I hope you like the story so far. You don't have to, but you can let me know what you think. I love you all. Have a gay day. Tatty-bye!**

 **Fact of the Day - A strawberry is NOT a berry. A banana IS a berry.**

 **P.S. - Gay to me means merry, happy, or joy. :) Have a nice day.**


	2. Sight

**Sight**

The feeling of water going down her throat awoke Ash from sleep. She still couldn't move or open her eyes. She was being given water she assumed was by Baby 5. "It feels like I'm a mother looking over her child. It makes me so happy," Baby 5 said excitedly. Ash didn't know what was going on at first.

The bang of the door hitting off the wall behind it didn't bother Baby 5 at all. "Baby 5! I heard that there is a woman here! Why did you bring a person into our home?! Have you lost your mind?! She could be an enemy!" The voice was feminine. Maybe an older woman.

"She needs my help. She can hardly move and she will die if I don't help her." Ash felt her rub a hand through her hair. "Doffy said that I could keep her. She is like a child to me." Her voice sounded proud. The other woman sighed.

"Trebol wants to come and see her. It told him that I wanted to get a look at her first." The sound of a sloppy substance sounded outside in the hall.

"Can I see her now? Doffy said that she was very interesting." The sound got closer. "She looks so beautiful. What is she?" Ash didn't understand the question asked.

"I think she's a human. I haven't found anything to indicate that she is anything but." Baby 5 cradled her head and stroked her hair. She had set the cup of water down a few moments before. "She can't move and I can't figure out why. She can't even speak to me." Baby 5 sounded depressed at that.

"Baby 5!" A high-pitched voice sounded from the doorway. It sounded like a boy going through puberty. "Young Master has a mission for you. I'm here to take over for you." He sounded excited. Baby 5 tightened her grip before letting her go and laying her back down.

"Okay. Don't worry about bathing her. I'll do it when I get back." With that, she was gone. The two from before left with her. High-heels sounded on the ground. She was curious as to why she could still hear them.

"You look really pretty. No wonder the Young Master has taken an interest in you." A hand touched her forehead and moved some of her hair. "You look young. I wonder how old you are." He sat down in the same seat that Baby 5 had been in before.

Ash stayed awake for the time being. This new man talked about all the stuff they would do when she was able to move. He seemed to like her even though he knew nothing about her. Mustering a little bit of her energy, Ash was able to move her body but only by a small amount. It made the man scream when she twitched her arms.

"Don't do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Ash wanted to laugh but couldn't She couldn't see him but his scream was priceless.

A few hours passed before Baby 5 came back. "You can go now. I have to give her a bath." The guy left after telling her what Ash had done. Baby 5 uncovered her. She picked her up, bridal-style, and started to walk. The movement still hurt her but not as bad as before. They came to a place and Baby 5 laid her on the floor of the new room.

Ash heard the sound of water. It went on for a bit before being turned off. Her bandages were removed and then she was lifted once again. The water was warm but burned her like she was stuck in a raging fire. "AHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed again. Baby 5 started to panic.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me! I don't mean to hurt you!" Ash was trying to keep her breath under control. It hurt like fire was consuming her entire body. Baby 5 proceeded to bathe her after she calmed down. It was very awkward on her part and she now felt uncomfortable. She hadn't had someone do this for her since she was fourteen.

Baby 5 was careful of her wounds and was cautious about hurting her again. It was good that she cared. Suddenly, the door opened. Footsteps let her know that someone entered the room with them. "Baby 5, has she woke up? Can she speak or more?" Ash felt embarrassed that a man would walk in on a woman bathing.

"No, sir. Dellinger said that she scared him. She was able to twitch but nothing more." She rinsed her body off. "I came to give her a bath." The man never left the room.

"How long do you think it will take?" The water was drained and a towel laid over her body.

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't know. She seems to still respond to pain. She can scream when it hurts but it seems like it is tearing at her throat every time she does it." The towel was wrapped around her body as she was lifted once again.

"I need to talk to Bellamy. He took her clothes to get washed." The man followed them as Baby 5 took her back to the room.

"What happened to her arms and legs?" the man asked as she was set on the bed. Baby 5 started to re-bandage her.

"I don't know. She also has scars on her wrists and stomach. I can't tell how or why there were made." Baby 5 sounded as if it hurt her to know about the damage to her body.

"So, she has been through some battles?" _If you count my days of self-hatred, then yeah. I've been in quiet a few._ She didn't hear the woman answer him. "That will be a question for her to answer." He left the room. Baby 5 sat back down. Ash started to fall asleep. She was exhausted from the bath. She let sleep claim her once more.

...

When Ash got up again, she was able to open her eyes. The ceiling was white along with the walls. She was able to turn her head and saw the woman that had been taking care of her for the first time. She was asleep in the chair. Baby 5 was in a maid's dress that was a little too short for her liking, had a maid's headband on her head, and black high-heels to match the dress.

She tried to move her body and found out that she could. Ash also noticed that she was dressed in a nightgown. She tried to sit up. As she did so, she noticed that her movements were heavy and slow. It was like she was drugged with something.

When she was sitting up, Ash reached out to touch Baby 5. It startled the woman and she almost fell out of her seat. Calming down, the woman looked at her. "You're awake! Can you speak? Please, try to."

Ash opened her mouth and moved it. No sound escaped her lips even as she tried. It was as if she was a mute. Baby 5 deflated. Ash made the motion that she could write. Baby 5 understood and left to get some paper and something to write with. Ash waited patiently for her to return.

Coming back, she handed her the paper and a pen. Ash wrote down what she wanted to ask. ' _Where am I? Could you please tell me?_ '

"You're on the island of Dressrosa. Right now, you are in the palace infirmary." Ash had never heard of the island. She had gotten maps of everywhere in the world. Dressrosa wasn't on any of them. "I'll be right back. Please, relax and stay put." Baby 5 left the room. Ash took a piece of the paper and started to draw.

On the paper, she drew the creature that had swallowed her. She remembered it from that day. She didn't even know what day it was. _Maybe I'll ask when she gets back._

After she was finished with the drawing, Baby 5 returned with a large man. _Is he like a giant or something? He's easily about nine to ten fee tall._ He stopped right beside her bed. "So, she can write by not speak?" It was the man from before. He was very tall with blond hair and tan skin. His style was strange. She couldn't see his eyes because of the glasses and the pink, feather coat made her question what he was about.

Taking a clean piece of paper, she wrote ' _Yes_ ' on it. He seemed to be upset about that. ' _Who are you? Could you please tell me? My name is Ash._ ' She held it up for him to see.

"Hm. My name is Doflamingo. Nice to meet you, Miss Ash. Baby 5 is the one that found you and brought you here." He got closer. "How did you get to this island? Did you crash your ship? Or were you dropped here by someone?" Ash grabbed the picture she drew before and held it up to him. "That's a sea king. Did it attack you?"

She put the paper to the side and wrote on a clean sheet. ' _It swallowed me. I have no idea how I ended up here._ ' The man seemed confused.

"If it swallowed you, you would be dead. That is intriguing. You can stay here but we need to know more about you. It can wait until you are able to speak, though. Baby 5 can help you around and anything else. The others will also help if you need them." She nodded in agreement. Doflamingo went to leave. "Get her some better clothes. She can come to dinner with us tonight." And, he was gone.

"Come with me. I can give you your clothes and we can go into town for new clothes." Ash nodded. Baby 5 helped her stand and get changed. She needed her help to walk even if she was a proud woman. Ash knew when to swallow her pride and ask for help. This was one of those times.

In the town, Ash was surprised and astonished. There were people along with living toys that walked the street. She stayed close to Baby 5 in case something happened. She could hear voices but they were too quiet to understand. Ash was led to a clothing store for women. She made a face as she stumbled after the other.

"Miss Pearl, are you here?" Ash heard a crash from a back room. Out came a short woman that was about an inch or two shorter than Ash.

"Yes, dear. Did you need another dress? Have you dirtied up another one?" Ash wondered how Baby 5 could've dirtied them up.

"No, ma'am. I need to get a fitting for an evening gown." She moved to show her to the woman. "This is Ash. She is the one that needs the dress. Could you get her fitted for one by tonight?"

The old woman came up to her. "This is the first woman I have ever seen this short. She is almost the height of a child." Ash was used to the comments of her height. "What kind of evening gown are you looking for? It should express the wearer." Pearl turned back to Baby 5. "Do you know anything about her?" The other shook her head. "Well, she can look at the dressed that I have. I could even fit one to her size in about an hour or so."

Baby 5 helped her move around the shop. There were dresses from a range of colours and styles. She stopped at one in particular. It was a black dress that had long sleeves and a long skirt. It had white designs on the skirt part and was solid black on the bodice. She pointed to it.

After about two hours, the dress was fitted. It wasn't dragging the floor like it had been before. Pearl smiled as she stood back from her. "You look positively stunning. It goes beautifully with your figure." Ash blushed at the praise. "But, what happened to your arms and legs, deary? The dress covers the bandages but what happened?" Ash closed herself off. She didn't want to answer her.

"She had an accident. She doesn't like to talk about it." Baby 5 hugged the old woman. "Thank you for your time. I think this will be a fantastic dress to wear for dinner." She helped Ash back into her clothes.

"Tell Doflamingo that this dress is on the house. She is such a beautiful woman that I can let her have it for free." Baby 5 thanked her while Ash bowed to say her thanks. She felt bad that she couldn't verbally thank the kind woman.

Leaving that shop, Baby still had to help her walk. She was getting annoyed that her body was heavy and it felt like she was drugged. They went to five different clothing shops and got clothes. Baby 5 wasn't used to her tastes and was confused when she wanted to go into men's clothing shops for clothes.

Getting back to the palace, it was getting dark. "Dinner will be ready shortly. We should get dressed for dinner," Baby 5 announced. Ash agreed and followed the woman to a room. She was confused as to why they weren't going back to the other room.

Getting to their destination, Ash guessed that it was Baby 5's room. It was decorated in pink and made her scrunch up her nose at the colour. She didn't like the colour pink all that much. They got dressed and Baby 5 even helped her put some heels on. It made her even more unsteady on her feet. She wasn't used to heels.

Shakily, Ash was escorted to the dining room. Baby 5 led her to a seat next to her and helped her sit down. She was tired and exhausted from moving around but also, hungry. Soon, more people started to enter the room. Most of them were men and they stopped in their tracks to just stare at her. She saw their looks of astonishment.

When everyone but Doflamingo was in the room and sitting down, they all went quiet as the doors opened. Doflamingo stood in the doorway. He also seemed to stop to stare, as well. She didn't understand why everyone was staring at her. _I don't look any different than normal. Right?_

"I see that our guest is joining us tonight." Doflamingo sat at the head of the table. That would make him one seat over because Baby 5 was next to him. "It is a good thing that you could join us for dinner tonight." He was grinning as he spoke. She bowed her head.

The food was served and Ash was astonished at all of it. She had never seen so many things on a table at once. So many that she didn't know what was what. Taking a few things from different platters, she made her plate. It was filled enough to her liking.

Taking her fork, Ash dug in and started to eat. It was good. She made sure to use her table manners. _A guest is always polite and shows their manners no matter how their host or hosts act or what they think of their meal._ She was glad that the food tasted delicious. She caught Doflamingo watching her every so often that she looked out the corner of her eye. The same was for all the men at the table.

After dinner, Doflamingo asked Baby 5 and Ash to stay behind for a bit. They both obeyed even though Ash was extremely tired. She leaned heavily on Baby 5. "Baby 5, I want you to give Miss Ash the room next to yours when she can move on her own. She can always knock on the wall if she needs you." Baby 5 agreed. "For now, she can stay with you in your room." The grin was still there. "Have a good night, Ash." Ash bowed before leaving the room with Baby 5's help.

They got back to the room. Baby 5 helped Ash dress in some nightclothes and led her to the bed. "You can sleep in my bed with me. Tell me if you get hurt or start having pains in your back, arms, or legs." Ash nodded as she got in the bed. She laid down with the woman next to her. The bed was way more comfortable than the one in the infirmary.

Baby 5 got in and snuggled up to her. It made her feel like she was in bed with her mother again. The woman started to hum and it made her remember her mother. It was nice and made her feel safe. It slowly put her to sleep. She had the image of her mother in her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **Hope you like the new chapter. More things will be revealed in the next chapter. Please, tell me what you think. Have a fantastic day. Tatty-bye!**

 **Fun Fact of the Day - Your nose can remember 50,000 different smells.**


	3. Noises and Explanations

**Noises and Explanations**

 _ **The whole house was quiet. Ash walked cautiously down the hall. She didn't hear her younger brother anywhere in the house. There was no sound of her parents, either. This wasn't right. Everyone was home, right?**_

 _ **"Momma?" There was no answer to her whisper that echoed throughout the house. "Papa?" Still no answer. "Cedric? Is anyone home?" There was a small noise from downstairs. She made her way quietly there. There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.**_

 _ **Getting downstairs, Ash heard the sound of gasping coming from the family room. Taking shaky steps, she slowly made her way to the room. She stopped in her tracks at what she saw. Tears gathered in her eyes and poured down her cheeks.**_

 _ **In the middle of the family room, her little brother was on the floor, bleeding out from multiple stab wounds to his chest and stomach. She quickly got out of her shock and rushed over to him. She picked up his head and cradled it in her lap. "What happened?! Cedi! Cedi, can you hear me?!" Her brother slowly nodded as he coughed up blood.**_

 _ **"A-Ashy...Momma...Papa..." He had tears running down his face that mixed with the blood. "T-They're...d-dead..." She had a feeling that that was the case if her brother was like this.**_

 _ **Suddenly, the sound of shoes tapping on the floor made Ash look away from her brother to the entrance hall. A tall figure stood in the doorway. She couldn't see his face because of the darkness that shrouded him.**_

 _ **"W-Who are you?! Why did you do this?! Why us?!" She hugged her brother to her chest. The figure came further into the room. He sat on the couch in front of her.**_

 _ **"A creature must whither and die before becoming a star." It was a man for sure that sat in front of her. He didn't move as he sat there. "You have so much potential that you don't know about." She felt and heard her brother take his final breath before passing away. "You can open portals to other places and travel between worlds."**_

 _ **"There is nothing special about me! Not anything worth killing my family over!" She was furious, hurt, and sad. The man murdered hr family for no reason.**_

 _ **"That is where you are wrong. You can open new possibilities for us." He stood. "I will come back for you in ten years. Be ready to leave with me then." After that, he left.**_

 _ **Ash cried and cried as she held her brother's dead body. She couldn't bring him back and she had no way of understanding what the man had told her. She cried until it hurt her throat, no more tears fell from her eyes, and she passed out from exhaustion.**_

 _..._

The feeling of something cold on her face made Ash open her eyes. She saw the pink ceiling from the night before. She was still in the unknown place that was a palace on the island of Dressrosa. She looked over and saw that Baby 5 was still asleep.

Turning over to the other side, there was a little girl next to her. She saw her at dinner the night before. "Hello, you must be Ash. I'm Sugar." She smiled at her. "Wanna play with me? We could even go outside by the pool and play."

Sitting up, Ash realized that it was easier to move now. She nodded to Sugar. Getting out of the bed on shaky legs, Ash was able to change without help but still needed it when walking. Sugar helped her in that regard.

Outside was beautiful. She took a deep breath and sighed. It was just like home a little. The salty sea air was still there. It was a nice thing. She loved the smell of the salt. It made her feel welcomed. Sugar took her hand and led her over to a few toys. They looked like tiny toy soldiers.

"Wanna play War? It's a great game. I'll bet you could play it fine even though you can't speak." Ash decided to test that.

Opening her mouth, Ash was able to make sounds that sounded like words. Sugar seemed to be happy that she could utter sounds, at least. It was a plus on her part. Sugar went through the rules of the game as they sat down. It sounded a lot like chess to Ash. Sugar also made it to where certain sounds meant certain things for her. It was much easier.

Ash could tell that Sugar was frustrated. They had played seven games. Ash won six. Sugar only one once and it was the first game they played. "How are you so good at this game?! I am one of the best at it!" Ash shrugged. She didn't understand it either. She just was.

"What do you mean that she is gone?! She can't have gotten far! She's slow!" Ash was listening to the conversation that was happening behind them. She was still able to concentrate on the game at the same time.

"I don't know! I got up and she was gone! I have no idea where she has gone!" That was Baby 5. She sounded distraught.

"If the Young Master finds out, we'll all be dead!" Ash stopped the game and made another sound. Sugar looked up.

"Yes?" She made the motion of writing. Sugar nodded and reached in her bad she had brought with her. Ash was handed a pen and a piece of paper. She started to write on the pad.

'Why doesn't Doflamingo want me to leave? I will have to go home at some point, right?' Sugar seemed to be worried about her questions.

"Well, you are a fascinating woman. You suddenly showed up on the shore and you are just interesting. We want to know more about you." Sugar picked up a soldier. "We are trying to figure out why you have come to us. If what you told the Young Master is true, how come you are still alive? You would've died if you had been swallowed."

Ash just shrugged. She didn't understand it either. She had never seen that creature before. Most things like that were extinct where she was from. they went back to the game. Ash won several more times before Sugar gave up with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine! You win! I can't believe that you can beat me at my own game!" She was smiling despite the anger in her voice. "I bet you can even beat Doffy at this game. He was the only one who could ever beat me at this game." Sugar stood up. "Wait here. I'll be back in a moment." Ash nodded as the girl skipped away to inside.

Scooting over to the pool that was a few feet away, Ash was astonished at how clean it was. _Pools at home were never this clean._ Taking her hand, she dipped it into the water. She was glad for the coolness of it. It was a little too warm outside for her tastes, though.

Getting closer to the water, Ash almost slipped in. She was glad that she didn't. Talking made her look to the door. Sugar was back with Doflamingo following her. He was grinning as he walked over to her. "I hear that you are getting along with Sugar. She told me about your games. I would like to see how you play.

Ash nodded. Sugar helped her up and back over to her seat. Doflamingo was now her opponent. He set up the game like Sugar did. The girl informed him of the noises that Ash would make and their meanings. He nodded. After a minute, the game began.

Taking her time, Ash made her decisions precisely and without a mistake. Doflamingo seemed to realize that she was confident in her choices. "Soldier to e5." Ash saw the move he was going to take. She made a noise and her soldier in front of that one moved back about two places. Doflamingo grinned even wider. "Clever. I could've taken you soldier."

The game went on for a while until there were only two soldiers left. One was Ash's and the other was Doflamingo's. Ahs saw the perfect route to take and waited. Doflamingo made the wrong move. Making a sigh, her soldier took out his. He pulled back, astonished.

"What?! She was able to defeat you?! How?!" Sugar seemed excited and shocked at the outcome of the game. Ahs wasn't one to show off so she just smiled.

"I don't know." Doflamingo scratched his head. Ash picked up the soldiers and placed them back in their places. She was liking this. She was at least good at something. It made her proud of herself. Ash was now excited.

"Doffy! There is someone at the castle! He said that he knows Ash!" Baby 5 came running out of the palace. She was huffing and looked shocked. "There's a man in a long coat and a large brimmed hat that says he knows some things about Ash."

Doflamingo stood up and walked past the woman. Sugar and Baby 5 helped Ash walk to the throne room. She hadn't seen much of the castle and this was all new to her. It was nice to see something different.

In the room, Ash was in shock. She pushed backwards on Baby 5 and Sugar. She knew that man. She didn't want to face him and she refused to be near him. She kept pushing on the girls so that they would go back.

"Ash doesn't seem to like him. She won't go into the room," Sugar whispered to the other woman. Ash knew that they were confused. She started to move her mouth to get a word out. It was extremely difficult and aggravating.

"My apologies, sir. I do not mean to be a bother to you," the man said. He turned to Ash. "She is a great asset to me and my people." He turned back to Doflamingo. "I would like to take her with me. She will not be a burden to you any longer."

"M-M-M-" She was able to get a letter out. Ash still tried to pronounce the word she was trying to say. It was coming to her.

"She's forcing herself to speak. Should we try to stop her?" She felt Sugar shake her head. She mentally thanked the girl.

"M-M-M-Mur-Murd-Murd-Murder-MURDERER!" Ash was able to get the word out. Her first word in days. She could tell that the man was upset with her word. She finally broke past the girls and stumbled down the hall. Ash wanted to get away from him and her throat felt like it was getting shredded.

She used the wall to move around. Ahs could hear footfalls behind her. She ignored them at first. All she wanted to do was get away from the throne room. She kept walking even as the sound of people got closer. Her thoughts made her think that the man was coming for her. That thought made her start running again.

It was taxing on her body but she didn't care. After a bit, her body started to freeze up a little. _I think I ran for too long. My body is giving out._ She stopped running and just walked. She finally made it outside. Ahs was happy to see the sun and breathe in the fresh air. She walked a few more feet before falling to the ground. Her body finally gave up.

After a bit, Ash heard Dellinger's voice. "Baby 5! Sugar! I found her! She's outside!" She heard high-heels get closer to her. "She looks in bad shape." He turned her over. "Are you okay, Ash?" She shrugged. "I guess that that's an answer."

Baby 5 and Sugar came to them. "What did you mean that he's a murderer? Why did you run?" Ash was able to make sounds again but not words. "You can say later. Right now, Doffy wants to know if you are okay." The girls and boy helped her to her feet. They escorted her back to the throne room. She decided to stay on the other side of the room.

Getting back, the man was still there. "How do you know her? Why did she call you a murderer?" Doflamingo was questioning the man as the entered the room. The man just stood there.

"I have met her once before. I have no idea why she was calling me that." Ash's fear quickly turned to anger. She broke away from the others and stumbled across the room to him. She grabbed him by the front of his jacket. She slammed him into the wall. She couldn't believe what he was saying. He grinned down at her.

"She doesn't seem to like you all that much," Baby 5 said with accusation. Ash wanted to tell the man to go to hell at that very moment. She slammed him into the wall again but this time, he went through the wall. Her arm went in the wall with him. She let him go and he was gone. Everyone was quiet as she stepped back.

"Where did he go? What did she do?" Doflamingo seemed to be shocked. Ash turned to him and shrugged. She had just pushed him against the wall. She didn't know where he had gone. "Check the palace. See if he's still here." She had a feeling that he wasn't there anymore.

Ash moved away from the wall. She was staring at the wall where he had disappeared. The man had gone through and disappeared. She knew he wasn't in the palace in anymore. He wasn't even in this world at all. He was just...gone. Ash didn't know how she knew. She just did.

"Ash, let's go back to my room. You need to sit down for a moment." Ash turned to Baby 5 and nodded. She let the woman guide her out of the room and back to hers. Doflamingo watched her leave. She knew he wanted answers. She wanted them, too.

Back in the room, Baby 5 changed her bandages and talked with her. Ash wrote her answers and questions down on a notepad that she was given. Most of the questions she could answer. Others, she couldn't.

After a while, Baby 5 started to fall asleep. Ash was staring out the window. She could hear a distant voice as she sat there. Something was calling her name. It was deep and masculine but it also didn't sound human.

Getting up, Ash searched around the room for something to help her walk around. She found a sword in its sheath in the closet. Using it as a cane, Ash made her way out of the room and out of the palace. She wasn't worried all that much. She would return, anyway.

Getting further and further away from the palace, Ash was able to make out where the voice was coming from. _The ocean? I wonder what it is._ Slowly but surely, she made her way to a beach that was near the palace. The voice was coming from the water.

She made a noise. Suddenly, the same creature that swallowed her rose from the water. It was terrifying but at the same time, fascinating. It stared down at her before moving its head closer to her. "Do you know what I am, child?"

 _No. Not really. I do know that you are the creature that swallowed me._

"Yes and no. I did not swallow you. I merely closed my mouth around you to keep you safe." He blinked. She guessed that it was a male by his voice. Ash realize that it could hear her thoughts. "After all, you needed my help."

 _How did you get to me? I have never seen anything like you before except in books and documentaries._ The sea king rested his head on the ground next to her. He seemed to be thinking about her question.

"That, my dear, is still confusing to me as well. I was swimming in the water, then I was underneath you. It was as if you had brought me to you for help." He nuzzled her legs slightly. "I am sorry fro what I have done to you."

 _What do you mean? What did you do to me?_ She was worried that he had harmed her in some way that would be permanent.

"When I brought you to this island, I accidentally bit you. My teeth have a paralytic poison on them. The reason you have your problems is because of it. The effects should almost be gone. I would say, maybe tomorrow or the day after." He licked her. "You are my friend. You are a friend to all and not just me." She nodded. That was hard to understand at first. "I have to go, but we will meet again. One the sea, I believe." With that, the beast was gone.

After a minute, she heard a crash followed by screams of terror. She looked back to the palace. A large hole was in the side of the building. The screams were coming from the townsfolk. Maneuvering herself towards the palace, Ash started her trek back to the building. A bird flew to her and sat on her shoulder. She didn't mind it.

"They are looking for you, I think," said a female voice. Ash looked over to see the bird looking at her. "You should go in quietly. I want to see how they will react."

 _That sounds like fun. How do I get in without being seen?_ The bird guided her to the wall just outside the palace. She pressed her beak into a stone and a passage opened up. She saw two mice waiting on the other side.

"Follow us, Ash. We can guide you back inside," one said. She nodded to them both. The bird flew away and she walked into the passage. The mice guided her through tunnels and up a flight of stairs to another wall. They asked her to press the brick to her left. She did and a door opened.

 _Thank you. Be safe and have a great day._ They wished her the same thing before leaving. She exited the space and watched the door, the disappear. She limped her way back to Baby 5's room.

After a few hours, Ash heard someone coming to the room. There was actually two people. She continued to look out the window as she listened to them talk. "Doffy is so mad! I screwed up. I screwed up so bad, didn't I?!" That was Baby 5. She sounded distraught.

"She can't have gotten that far. She still needs help getting around, right?" That was Sugar. "Doffy understands that it was an accident. He will forgive you." Sugar sounded like she was trying to make the other feel better. "What's the worst that could happen?"

The door opened. Ash turned to them. They both looked like they had seen a ghost. Grabbing the pad and pen, she wrote down what she wanted to ask. 'What's going on?'

"Where have you been all this time?!" Baby 5 practically screamed to the top of her lugs.

'The bathroom then here. I had to go really bad. I couldn't wake you up so I went on my own.' She pointed to the sword next to her.

"Sugar, go tell Doffy to call off the search. Ash never left the palace." The smaller girl nodded before skipping away. "Please, don't scare us like that. We thought someone had kidnapped you." Baby 5 walked over to her and hugged her. She was cautious of her back.

After a bit, Doflamingo entered the room. Ash was braiding Baby 5's hair. "So, she was in the bathroom all this time?" He sounded a little upset.

"i guess so. That's where she said she was." Ash nodded as she continued to braid the woman's hair.

Doflamingo sighed. "Okay. Ash." She looked away from her task and towards him. "Please, don't scare us like that again." She nodded in agreement, the went back to work. "Dinner will be ready in an hour." Baby 5 agreed and he left.

Once Ash was finished with her work, they both changed into formal clothes. She was in a white dress that showed her shoulders. It was long enough to cover the white heels that Baby 5 picked out for her. A light blue flower was put in her hair by the woman. The dress was short-sleeved and showed off the bandages on her arms.

"You look beautiful," the woman said as she stepped back from her. She had put a little bit of pink lipstick on her.

Picking up the pad, Ash began to write. 'I don't like how the dress shows off my arms.' Baby 5 deflated a little at her comment. 'But, I will wear it.' She got excited again and hugged her. Ash smiled. She liked seeing her so happy.

Being guided to the dining room, she was stared at again. It was even worse than the night before. She was self-conscious over the looks. Doflamingo entered the room and stared at her as well. He grinned at her the entire time they ate.

Tonight's dinner was seafood. It was delicious and made her happy. Seafood was her favourite. Ash still didn't lie the looks of the others. After dinner, Doflamingo asked her to stay. Baby 5 was asked to wait outside the room. Ash didn't like that. She was worried that he was angry with her or something bad was going to happen.

He got up and walked over to her. "Ash, do you like staying here with us?" Ash slowly nodded. She didn't know if that was a good answer or not. "You can stay here for as long as you want. But, you need to stay in the palace unless someone is with you. There are people that will want to kidnap you." Ash nodded. Doflamingo walked closer to her and placed his head next to hers. "Good." He kissed her left cheek. "You should get to bed." He called Baby 5 to help her back to the room.

Ash was shocked. The man had kissed her. That was a new thing about him that she didn't understand. Back in the room, Baby 5 helped her get dressed for bed. She was still shocked and it seemed that Baby 5 realized it.

"Ash, what is wrong? Are you okay?" Ash slowly picked up the pad and wrote on it. She had to scribble a few things off as she wrote.

Turning it towards the woman, Ash let her see her thoughts. 'Why did Doflamingo kiss my cheek? Is there something that I'm not understanding.?'

Baby 5's eyes widened. She seemed to be shocked as well as Ash. "I...I don't...I don't know." Even the woman sounded confused. "I'll talk to him about it tomorrow, okay?" She agreed. At least someone would help her understand that man.

Getting in the bed, Baby 5 cut the light out and they both got situated in the bed. Ash was still pondering what Doflamingo wanted from her. _If he wants me to like him like THAT, I don't know if I can. I hope that I can figure this out tomorrow._

She heard to knock on the door. Baby 5 got up and answered it. She could hear Buffalo whispering to her. "We have to get ready for tomorrow. Law is coming to check to see what is going on with her. Doffy said to be ready for anything he might try."

"Okay. I will be there in case he tries anything." After that, the door was shut and Baby 5 came back to the bed. Ash was curious about this new person. She closed her eyes and fell into peaceful sleep.

 **Hope you like the new addition. Please, let me know what you think. Have a great day. Tatty-bye!**

 **P.S. - I thought it would be a good idea to put a game of chess in here. It is just like chess, just the figures are different.**

 **Fun Fact of the Day - Russia has a larger surface area then Pluto.**


	4. Talking and Escape

**Talking and Escape**

Talking awoke Ash from sleep. She could make out Baby 5's voice. She sounded pissed off about something. "No! You can't come in! She is no dressed and it is rude to wake up a woman!" Ash sat up in the bed. She looked toward the door. It was slightly ajar.

"Well, I'm only staying for a bit. I have to hurry up and go back to my crew. Don't waste my time." That voice was different from everyone else's. She had never heard the man's voice before.

"Fine! I will wake her up! Give me five minutes! Go wait in the infirmary!" The woman still sounded pissed off.

"Don't order me around." As heard him walk away. Baby 5 groaned. She stormed into the room. Baby 5's anger suddenly disappeared when she looked over to Ash.

"Good. You're awake. Do you need help getting dressed?" Ash shook her head. She was still a little slow but was able to get dressed by herself. Baby 5 stayed with her just in case. Ash put on a pair of black, baggy, white-spotted jeans, a green t-shirt, and her tennis shoes. He felt better than the day before.

When she was dressed, Ash still had shaky legs but made a noise that she was fine. She even wrote it down for the woman. the problem was that she could speak, she just didn't trust the others yet. Baby 5 walked with her to the infirmary.

Inside the room, Ash was surprised to see a man in there. He dressed very differently from the others. He wore a yellow and black hoodie, blue and black spotted jeans, and a white and black spotted hat. The man also looked very young but the dark circles under his eyes gave off that he might be older. She looked to his hands and saw 'DEATH' tattooed across his fingers.

"This is her?" He sounded surprised. Ash wondered why.

"Yes. Her name is Ash." Ash sat on the bed. She was afraid that her legs would give out if she continued o stand.

"Leave." Baby 5 looked offended.

"What?! Why?!" she screamed. Ash held her ears so that it wasn't as bad. The man didn't seem to be bothered by her shouting.

"Because, what happens between a doctor and his patient stays between them." Baby 5 huffed before leaving. She stomped her way out of the room. The man turned back to her when the door was shut. "Now. My name is Trafalgar Law. Can you speak?"

"I-I...c-can a...l-little b-bit." It didn't hurt to talk but it was hard for her voice to get out.

"Hmm. I was aware that there are markings on your body. May I see them?" Ash nodded. She turned around and lifted her shirt. Law undid the bandages and looked at the wounds. "This is fascinating. What did this to you?"

"A s-sea...k-king." She used the name that the others called it.

"This is unusual. I have never heard of a sea king letting a person go when they have a man or woman in their jaws." He touched the wounds.

"AHHHHH!" She screamed at the pain in her back from him touching them. It spread across her back to her shoulders and down to her tail bone. Ash shot away from him and used the bed as a block between them. "T-That...f-fucking...hurt," she said between pants. She wasn't angry at him but she was still suffering from the pain in she just felt.

"What are you doing in there?! You better not be hurting her!" Baby 5 shouted from the other side of the door.

"She's fine. I was checking something." He looked back to her. "I'm sorry. So, it seems that it might still be sensitive." He rubbed his chin. "Can you tell me if you have had problems like this before?" Ash nodded. She got back on the bed but made sure that he didn't try to touch her again.

"W-When I...f-first got...h-here...B-Baby 5 p-poured...a l-liquid on...my back..." The memory hurt and made her flinch. There was so much pain. "I-It...burned like...h-hell." She moved slightly away from him. "T-The s-second...time...s-she put me...in a b-bath. T-That hurt...too."

"Hm. It seems that it is still sensitive with touch. Is there anything that was put into your body when you got this? Poison or something?" Ash remembered what the sea king had told her.

"A p-paralytic...p-poison." He looked to be thinking about something.

"It seems that it might be infected. There is redness around the two wounds shows that they are inflamed. I don't know how deep they are but I could always take a look." Ash wanted to say no but she needed his help. She nodded.

Moving to where he could look, Ash waited for something to happen. A hand was placed on her back. She held back the scream that bubbled up inside her. Ash grabbed the side of the bed as he stuck a gloved finger in one of the holes. Tears fell down her cheeks. It hurt like hell.

After a minute, he pulled back. Ash gave a shuddered breath when the pain was now a dull ache. It hurt like a bitch. She looked down and saw that she had ripped the bed sheet on the bed. Ash sniffed. She brought her hands to her face and wiped away her tears.

"Sorry if I hurt you." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't moved away from it. "It appears that the holes are about six inches deep but I can't say properly. How you are alive now is beyond me." She nodded. Her back was like it was on fire. "Are you okay?" Ash shakily shrugged her shoulders.

A little while later, Law was finished with his examination. He let her know that the poison in her body was almost gone. He had called a few members from his ship to come to him. She was lying with her back on display. He had been doing tests on her to see what affected her back.

A polar bear walked in. She was in awe. _I have never seen a bear walk on two feet like that._ She was fascinated.

"Sorry," the bear said. The two men with him looked annoyed.

"What are you sorry for this time, Bepo?" the man with the Penguin hat asked.

 _Can you hear me/ Please, say yes if you can._ Bepo turned to her with wide eyes.

"Y-Yes. I can hear you." The other three looked between the two of them. Ash rose to her hand and knees on the bed. She put her shirt back on and moved to sit on her knees and face the bear.

 _This is a better way to talk since you can hear me. Please, ask Law to take me with you. Please, I need to get out of her._ Bepo nodded. He turned to Law with a lowered head.

"Captain, she wants us to take her with us when we get ready to leave." Law turned his gaze to her. She nodded to him.

"Is there a reason that you want to leave?" Ash nodded. She knew that something wasn't right about this place.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to try and speak again. "Y-Yes...I d-don't...t-trust D-Doflamingo..." She forced herself to try to speak more. "H-He is...t-treating m-me...like a p-prisoner." She remembered the night before. "He d-disturbs...m-me at t-times as w-well."

Law seemed to think it over. "I guess. This is going to be difficult, though. They are walking us in and out and watching our every move." She already had an idea. It was going to be a difficult thing to try but she wanted to try.

"D-Don't worry...about m-me. I-I will f-figure...my o-own way o-out." Law nodded. He told her to meet him by the shore by nighttime. She agreed. Baby 5 entered a few minutes later and took her away.

...

When dinner was around the corner, Ash had a plan. She had packed up her clothes without Baby 5 knowing. She told her that she needed to use the restroom. Baby 5 got her there and stayed outside the bathroom door.

Closing her eyes, she placed her hand on the floor. She imagined the bag she had packed. It was a blue, cotton bag filled with all of her clothing. There were dark spots on the straps that could pass for blood. Her hand slowly went through the floor and she grabbed something. Pulling back, she found her bag in her hand.

Ash smiled. She was understanding what she was doing. Placing her hand on the floor again, she imagined the shore of the beach that Law had indicated. It was rocky with the sea just out of the reach from the rocks. The sand was a golden yellow colour and glowed in the light of the setting sun.

Her hand went through. Pushing herself through the floor, Ash found herself on the beach next to a yellow submarine. The same symbol that was on Law's hoodie was on the side of the sub. Getting to her feet, Ash limped her way to the sub.

Bepo walked up to her. "Come with me. I'll get you settled in." Ash nodded as he helped her get on the ship. There were tons of men on the ship and many were staring at her as she walked past them. She couldn't see many of their eyes but she knew that they were staring.

Getting to an open room, she was able to see many fish. Walking up to the window, she saw a small, green fish swim close to the glass. "You need to get out of here. They are on their way." Ash knew who he was talking about.

Turning to Bepo, she gave him a worried look. _We need to go. Now. Doflamingo is on his way._ Bepo looked frightened.

"Jean! Go under! Now!" Law walked into the room with a confused look.

"What's wrong? Why do we need to go right now?"

"Ash said that Doflamingo is on his way!" Law paled and told Jean to hurry. As soon as they were underwater, Ash felt better. Law walked with the two to a room. It was small but good enough for her. She thanked them and they left her to get settled in.

After a bit, she left the room using the wall. A couple of the crew members offered to help her but she politely decline. She didn't need help to walk. She was trying to get along without help. She did have to ask where Law was. Some pointed to a room down the hall.

Arriving to the room, Ash heard Law talking to someone. "No. I didn't kidnap her. She came on her own." Ash opened the door. Law didn't seem to mind her.

"Why would she leave? She said that she liked living here. You stole her against her will." That was Doflamingo. He sounded pissed off. "Bring her back and I might not kill you."

"Let me ask her if she wants to come back." He turned his attention to her. "Do you want to go back? If you do, I will take you back." Ash shook her head. "She said no. She still can't speak. Maybe she will be able to tomorrow. She can tell you herself them."

"Fuffuffu. You are testing my patience, squirt." Ash raised an eyebrow. Law waved her off as if not to ask a question. She didn't say anything. "If anything happens to her, you will regret it."

"Okay. I have to go. Goodbye." He put the phone down. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes." Ahs pointed to the object that was like a phone. "W-What...is t-that?"

"It is a transponder snail. We use it to communicate." Ash moved around the desk to look at it. It looked like a large snail that had a phone on it's back.

Touching it, she was able to feel a heart beat. "I-Is it...a-alive?" Law shrugged.

"Nobody really knows. They do sleep when not in use." She nodded. It was strange. Ash touched it and found that it wasn't slimy like the ones at home. "Would you like to come with me? I have somewhere to be in a month or so."

"S-Sure." Ash's vision swam before her and her back started to burn. She screamed as she fell to the ground.

"Ash-ya!" She saw Law crouch before her. She was dizzy and her back was on fire. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I-I'm...fine." She held a hand to her head. "J-Just...d-dizzy." She didn't tell him about her back. Ash was worried that he would touch the wounds again.

"You should get to bed. It might help with your dizziness." Ash nodded. Law helped her up and guided her to the room she was given. She had put her bag next to the bed. Law stayed there until she got settled into bed.

Before Law left, he gave her a medicine that he said should help with the pain in her back. It was more to see if it would actually do something. He cut the lights out before leaving. Ash felt a little lonely that Baby 5 wasn't sleeping next to her. It was a little uncomfortable. Slowly, she was able to fall into a fitful sleep.

 **Hope you like the new chapter. Took me a while to write. Please, tell me what you think. Have a great day. Tatty-bye!**


	5. Cuts and Worry

**Cuts and Worry**

 **...**

 **Trigger warning**

 **...**

 _ **"Daddy, why is Momma crying? Did I do something wrong?" She tugged on her father's pants' leg. All she had done was ask her mother a question. She had asked her if she was happy about the picture she and drawn of their family.**_

 _ **Her father crouched down to her height with her brother in his arms. He smiled at her as if he was hiding something. "No, honey. You didn't do anything wrong. She's just...having a moment. She is crying with happiness." Ash felt as if he was lying. But her parents never lied to her, right?**_

 _ **"Ash, dear, come here for a second," her mother called. Ash gave her a worried look. Her mother was smiling at her with tears falling down her cheeks. Slowly, Ash let go of her father's shoulders and walked over to her mother. She took her in her arms and cried on her shoulder. Something was off about her.**_

 _ **"Momma, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Ash wrapped her arms around her. She fisted her mother's long, dark-brown hair. She heard her father leave the room with her brother in his arms.**_

 _ **"You know I love you, right?" This was something she wasn't expecting from her.**_

 _ **"Yes. I love you, too. I love Daddy and Cedric, too." Her mother shook with her sobs.**_

 _ **"I wouldn't give you up for anything in the world." She didn't understand what her mom was talking about. It was strange.**_

 _ **"Momma, is something going on?" Her mother's grip tightened on her. "Momma?"**_

 _ **"I never cared what they said to me. I wanted to keep you and your father let me make that decision." A kiss was placed on the side of her head. "You are a wonderful gift that God bestowed upon me. You are the best thing that came into my life." Another kiss was placed on her head in the same spot. I love you so much. So very, very much. You probably don't understand what I'm talking about now, but you will at some point. Just know that your father and I love you so very much. I don't care what other say about you." Ash was confused. But her mother had been right. She found out years later, after she was murdered, what her mother had meant.**_

 _ **"I'm the product of a rape," she whispered as she looked at some papers. They told her what her mother was talking about at the time. It hurt but tears of happiness came to her eyes. Her mother and father loved her even though she was the product of a crime.**_

...

She opened her eyes to see a grey, metal ceiling above her. It wasn't pink. _Thank God._ Ash touched her face. It was wet with tears that were shed in her dream. She sat up and looked out the window. It was still dark outside and she felt sad.

Getting up, she walked to the door. Before opening it, she took a deep breath. She left the room and went to find the kitchen. _Where is it? I need something from there kitchen._ Taking her time, she was able to find the kitchen. It took her a little more then ten minutes to find it.

Getting to a drawer, she searched through it. Picking up a small paring knife, she quietly shut the drawer. Ash put the knife in her pocket before leaving to find the bathroom. That took her about five minutes to find.

In the bathroom, Ash studied her surroundings. There was a towel rack to her right, a row of showers to her left, and about three tubs in front of her. _Hm. Must be an actual bathroom since there is no toilet._ Turning around, she locked the door behind her.

Ash walked over to one of the shower. She took off her shirt and undid the bandages from her torso and arms. There were scars on her arms from the last she did this. Taking off her pants and underwear, she turned on the water to the shower.

As the water ran down her body, she reached into her pants' pocket and brought out the knife. Ash sat down on the ground. She closed her eyes as she lifted the knife. Slowly, she started to drag the knife across the skin of her right leg. Blood bubbled up to the surface before being washed away by the water of the shower. It was routine.

Many more cuts followed after that. A few cuts to both of her legs, some to each of her arms, some to her stomach, and a couple to her chest above her breasts. The feeling of lightheadedness came across her. She kept going even when she heard a knock on the door.

"Ash, are you in there? Captain wants to know if you are okay." That sounded like a female. She had never seen a female on the ship but it didn't bother her at the moment.

"Y-Yeah." Another slice to her stomach. "I'm just showering. Could you give me a bit?" There was movement outside the door. Another slice below her collarbone.

A few minutes later, the knob to the door jiggled. She was even more lightheaded then before. Her vision was also blurry. "Ash-ya? Open the door. How long have you been in there?" She didn't answer him at first. She slowly turned her blurry gaze to the door. She blinked slowly twice at the door.

"I'm fine. Don't...Don't worry about me." She looked back to the water. There was red mixing with the clear water. It made it a lovely pinkish colour. "Don't come in. I'm...I'm naked." She thought back to Doflamingo walking in on Baby 5 bathing her. " **He** doesn't understand privacy." She sliced at her shoulder. "I'll...be okay." Another cut to her right side.

A minute passed before she heard the lock click, letting her know it was open. She didn't pay it any attention. "Ash! What are you doing?!" Someone came running up to her and grabbed her hand that held the knife. "Captain! Prepare some blood!"

"N-No. Don't come in." She gave off a shudder. The feeling of eyes on her made her try to struggle away. Her movements were sluggish and held no real effort. "T-The eyes. Get him to go away."

She was let go and the woman rushed away from her. The knife was dropped to the floor at the movement. The woman came back and wrapped something fluffy around her. Ash looked down and saw red seep out of a white fabric. She was lifted bridal-style and carried out of the room. Looking up, she saw a woman with curly black hair and a colourful hat on her head toting her.

"Where are we going? I'm fine." She lifted a hand and saw red plastered on her palm. "Hm. See? I'm not dead yet." The woman looked increasingly worried for her. That confused her. It was strange look for someone she didn't know. "Why are you worried? I said not to worry. I'll be fine. This happens all the time."

She was brought to a room. It looked like an operating room. "Captain, do you know her blood type?" Ash moved to were she could see Law. He was searching for something on the other side of the room. There was something off about him. The woman set her on the table-like bed.

"No. I need to take a sample to check. Get her to hold still."

Ash raised her hand. "How about this? Will this blood do?" She knew that she sounded strange to them. "I wish Fox was here." The thought of her best friend made tears come to her eyes. "I might never see him again."

Law came over to her with a needle. She tried to focus on one of him. It was hard where there were three. "Ash-ya, I need you to stay still. I'm going to take a sample of your blood to see what type of blood you have." Ash nodded and removed her right arm from inside the towel.

"Here. Do what you need to." The three Laws nodded at her. She closed her eyes as the needle was stuck in her arm. After a few seconds, it was removed. She opened her eyes and watched Law moved back to the other side of the room.

"Do you know?" Ash looked to the female in the room. She reached out her hand to her. Ahs grabbed her arm.

"Who are you?" she asked as she tried to focus her sight on her. Like Law, it was hard when you couldn't tell which one was her when there was two of the woman.

"My name is Rin." Rin smiled at her. Ash didn't like the look. It made her look away.

"Please. Don't pity me. I don't need you pity." Ash sat up and brought the towel with her. She moved it to where her arms were out of it but it was wrapped around her torso. "I'm not helpless." She scrunched her face up. "I hate that. People pity me because I look weak." Ahs knew she looked angry. "I'm no weak." A dizzy spell hit her. She laid back down. "Please, don't pity me." Rin nodded.

"Hm. This is interesting." Law looked over to Rin. "Do we still have some blood from when Straw Hat-ya was here?" Rin looked confused before nodding. "Go get it. She has the same blood as him."

Rin left for a minute before returning with a red bag. "What blood type is she?"

"F." Ash was confused. That wasn't something she had heard before. _What blood type is that?_ "Help me. I'll stick it in her arm while you set it up." Rin nodded. Ash watched them move. Law took her right arm an dstarted to stick it in.

She quickly grabbed his arm. Tears were in her eyes. They spilled over when he looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Law. I didn't mean to upset or scare anyone." Law looked worried fo her. He stuck the needle in her as Rin hung the bag up. "It's strange." She watched Law whisper to Rin. The woman agreed before leaving.

"What's strange?" Law bought a chair up to sit beside her. "I'm going to have to clean your cuts." He gave her a serious look. "Do I have your permission to remove the towel to clean your wounds?"

Mulling it over for a moment, Ash nodded. Law slowly removed the towel. She looked down to see blood all over her torso,'t l legs, and arms. "You asked what is strange?" Law nodded. "People being worried about me."

"Don't you have friends or family that worry about you?" He got up and went back to the back of the room.

"I only have one friend back home and that is Fox." She thought about her family. "My family is dead." She heard him stop moving around for a split second.

"I'm sorry to hear that." There it was again. Pity. She made a fist.

"Don't pity me," she said through gritted teeth.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to offend you." Ahs sighed. She wasn't angry at him.

"It's fine. I just don't like being looked down upon." He came back with a rag and a bottle of clear liquid.

"Did the water bother your back?" Ash thought about it. She actually felt nothing when it happened.

"No. I didn't even feel the pain of the slices." She was quiet for a moment. "It always happens when I do it. I block out everything." Ahs raised her hand to where she could look at it. Law started to clean the blood off of her. "Pain is not something I can feel properly."

"What do you mean?" He wiped away the blood and cleaned her wounds at the same time. "Do you feel this?"

"Sort of. What I mean is that, at times, pain seems nonexistent." Law continued to clean her scratches. "It started to happen after my family...died." She didn't fully trust him enough to tell him the truth about her parents. Law said nothing to her.

About fifteen minutes later, Law was finished with cleaning and bandaging her. Rin came back with some clothes for her. Ash dressed and Law put the needle back in her arm. He asked her to stay on the bed. She agreed and stayed lying on the bed.

Suddenly, Bepo came running into the room. "Is she okay?! I heard that Ash is hurt!" The bear looked over to her. She smiled.

"I'm fine, Bepo. Just a few cuts and scrapes." Bepo seemed to calm down a little. She got him to come to her and she grabbed his hand. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

Law tapped he on her shoulder. She turned to look at him. "Would you like to tell Doflamingo?" she nodded. Getting up, Ash followed Law out of the room with the bag of blood in tow. He guided her to the office from the day before.

He called Doflamingo back using his snail. It still fascinated her. After a minute, someone answered. "Law, are you calling me to say that you will hand her over?" Ahs regretted saying she wanted to speak to him.

Law handed the speaker to her. She grabbed it. "Doflamingo?" There was silence for a moment.

"Fuffuffu. Speaking. Who are you? Is Law tricking me?" Ash remembered that she had never spoke when she was on the island with him.

Swallowing some saliva, she started to tell him. "This is Ash. Law told you that I would speak to you today." All she wanted to do was hand up on him. The man scared her and disturbed her at the same time.

"Ash, dear, why did you leave us? Haven't we provided you enough? Is there something wrong?" There was silence for another moment. "Did I upset you? Was I too forward with you?" The feeling of the kiss on her cheek made her shiver with disgust.

"Um..." She had to take a minute to remember what she wanted to say. "I am sorry for leaving but I simply don't trust you." Law raised his eyebrow. She didn't want to tell him that he reminded her or her boss. "Please. Don't come after me or Law.' She took a deep breath. "And, yes. You did upset me."

There was a grunt of what sounded like anger on the other side of the speaker. "Law, what did you do to here? She sounds exhausted. If you touched her in any way, I will rip your throat out and cut your hands off." That made her worry.

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to her," he replied as he took the speaker back. Ash was scared for her new friends and what the man might do to them.

"Leave him out of this, Doflamingo," Ash said as she took it away from him. "I left with him of my own accord. I just asked if he could take me with him. He has done nothing wrong." Law went to grab it from her. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and held him at arm's length. "Law is just taking me away from you."

"Ash, my dear, I will find you. Fuffuffu. And when i do, you will be with me forever after telling me all about yourself." Anger rose up in her. Law hadn't moved since she grabbed him. She ground her teeth together.

"Who would want to live in a place where they are watched every moment of every day? That is what you were doing to me. I am a free woman. You are not the ruler of me." Her voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "If you date hurt Law because of me, I will never forgive you and I will personally see that you die." She put the speaker on the back of the snail. Letting go of Law, she walked over to the wall and punched it. It put a dent in the metal.

"Ash-ya? Are you okay?" He came up to her. Her world was spinning but she sat down before she fell.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She ran a hand through her short, dirty blond hair. "Where do you have to be in a month and what are you planning to do?" Law smiled at her and began to explain his plan to her. She agreed to it and they started to strategize for the future. _Maybe I can stay with him a little while longer. His plan should help me feel better. Maybe he can help me get back home when this is over._

 **Hope you like the new chapter. Thank you for the support. Please, tell me what you think. Have a great day. Tatty-bye!**

 **satansweetsibling - I love that you love the story. And no. Her ability is not like the door-door fruit. She can make portals to different places and dimensions. It is just something she was born with. She can also communicate with animals. You are also welcome. Please, have a great day.**


	6. Straw Hats

**Straw Hats**

Ash sat on the edge of the chair she was on. A man that she didn't know, and looked very strange, was talking with Law. A woman with green wings was sitting on the other side of the room, writing stuff down. Ash didn't like her all that much. Law and she was dressed in a similar way. Long, black coats, boots, pants, and a shirt for Ash. He was wearing his hat on his head while Ash wore a beanie.

"Law, you haven't told me who your friend is over here." Ash turned to the man as he spoke. Her gaze was one of boredom. "Are they male or female? I can't really tell." She looked over to Law.

"She is just a friend. Her name is Len." She knew that he was just trying to keep her under wraps. "Now, about our agreement." Ash watched him removed his heart from his chest. She had seen him do something similar to others but it still interested her. "Hold onto this. I will get you Smoker's heart."

The man laughed in that strange way of his. "And I'll give you Monet's heart." She watched Law gather the woman's organ. "Now, get me that heart. Then we will have a deal." Law rose from his seat and she followed him out.

After a while of walking, she followed Law to the opening of the facility. "I need you to go to this location." He had brought out a map for her to look at. "I need you to go here and wait for me to come and get you. If you come into contact with anyone..." He handed her a small snail. "Call me. These two are connected. Just press the side of the shell." Ash nodded in understanding.

"Can you give me a specific description of the area?" Law nodded. He gave her a detailed description of the are he wanted her to go to. It was enough for her. "Thanks." Placing a hand on the ground, she started to imagine it. Most of the island was covered in snow and this place had a few markers that were there. Her hand started to go through the floor.

"This is very interesting power you have. Are you sure it isn't a devil fruit ability?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"As I have said before, no. What is a devil fruit again?" Law told her that they didn't have time and she nodded. She pushed her way through the ground and was in the area that he had indicated. She was all by herself in the spot. Sighing, she sat down and started to play in the snow. Ash had never seen snow before today. She made a small snowman.

After a little while longer, Ash had made a small army of ten snowmen. She had heard a lot of crashing and banging going on but wasn't worried about Law. Commotion made her look up. A giant man was coming toward her. She cocked her head to the side as she stood up from crouching.

"Luffy! There is a person over there!" She squinted and saw a small man on top of the other man's head.

"Hey! Who are you?!" Suddenly, the man came rushing to her. He stopped just in front of her. He was a little taller by about a few inches or more. "Hm. You're dressed like Torao. Are you with him?"

"You mean Law?" The man nodded. "Yes. He told me to wait here for him." A woman came up to her. Next was a skeleton. This fascinated her. "Amazing. I have never seen a living skeleton before." She walked over to him and stood in front of him. "May I touch you?"

The skeleton laughed. "Sure." Ash took his hand and started to feel it. She was fascinated by him. "This is fun. I have never had someone do this before. It's new." The skeleton laughed again.

"Are you interested in Brook?" Ash looked over to see the woman standing beside her.

"Yes. I have never seen something like this before." She pushed up the sleeve of his coat. "Fascinating. Are you a full skeleton?"

"Yeah! He's a real, full skeleton!" The man from before came up to her. He was smiling bright. "What's your name? You never told us."

"Luffy, she might be dangerous," said a male voice. She didn't pay attention to him all that much.

"My name is Ash. I'm here with Law." She finally let Brook's hand go. "Who are all of you?"

The man grinned. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Ash nodded.

"My name is Robin. It is nice to meet you, Ash." The woman was kind. She could tell that they were nice people. "The man over there is Zoro. And the one behind him is Usopp," Robin said as she pointed to the man off to the side. Another one was hiding behind him.

"I'm Brook! It is nice to know that you like me!" Ash smiled at them all.

"Would you like to come with us? It might not be safe for you to stay here by yourself." She turned to Robin.

"But, Law told me to stay here." Ash felt as if she would betray him if she left.

"I think that he would like it better if you were safe." That made her fight with herself. Robin placed a hand on her arm. "Come on. You can stay close to Luffy or Zoro. They'll keep you safe." Ash gave her a warning look.

"I'm not weak. I can take care of myself." She removed Robin's hand from her arm. "Please, don't pity me." That seemed to confused the group. "Could you give me a minute to think it over?" Luffy nodded and they all let her go a little ways away.

Sitting down, she pressed the side of the snail. It rang for a moment before it was picked up. "Is something wrong, Ash-ya?"

"Some people are here. They want me to stay with them." She sighed. "They say it's for my safety. Should I trust them?"

"Does one of them have a straw hat?" Ash looked back at them.

"Yes. So, should I trust them?" She waited for a response.

"You can go with them. We will meet up at some point." He went quiet for a moment. "There are some people you need to watch out for. They are wearing blue and white outfits with brown coats. Keep close to the others." Ash agreed before hanging up.

Walking back to them, she smiled. "Okay. I will go with you." Luffy cheered as they walked inside the facility.

...

Hours passed and Ash found herself in a cage with Luffy, Law, two of the people Law warned her about, and some of the people with Luffy. She was chained up along with the others. She met a few more people with Luffy. She sat next to Law. The man and woman that Law warned her about were on the other side of the cage.

"Torao, is Ash your friend?" Ash looked over to Luffy. She realized that her chains weren't all that tight. She kept that to herself for the time being.

"You can say that. I helped her out of a tight spot." Ash wiggled just a little. The chains started to slip off. Standing up, she shook them off.

"Wow! How did you do that?! You didn't even undo them!" Ash turned to them.

"I just shook them off." She raised an eyebrow. "Can't you?" Luffy shook his head. They all escaped after a moment. It was good. She was informed along with Luffy's people that Law had made an alliance with the kid. Ash was also told that the man, Smoker, and the woman, Tashigi, were going to help them.

"Ne, Ash. I want you to meet Franky, Chopper, and Nami." Luffy introduced her to the new people. "Sanji isn't here so I can't introduce him to you yet."

"That pervert ran off with my body," Nami said. This made her curious.

"Come on. We need to get going." They split up into three groups. Law, Chopper, and Ash went one way. Luffy, Robin, Franky, Usopp, and Nami went another way. Tashigi and Smoker went a different way as well. It was all planned out by Law.

...

More hours passed and Ash had been split from Law and Chopper. She was, now, with Luffy and a small dragon. It wasn't something she was expecting but it interested her. "Ash, where is Torao?" Ash looked over to him.

"I don't know. I was with him a while ago, but it seems that I have gotten lost." Luffy nodded as they continued on. "Who is the dragon on you?"

"My name is Momonosuke." Ash nodded. "You don't seem to be a normal person."

"I don't know. You don't seem like a normal dragon." Ash continued to walk with them. Momonosuke decided to keep quiet after her reply. That didn't bother Ash in the slightest.

They came into contact with Caesar Clown again. He was floating on what seemed like a cloud of smoke. It confused Ash. "Straw Hat! How dare you!" Ash looked around Luffy to look at the man. "You! You were with Law! What are you doing here?!"

"Leave her out of this. She isn't your opponent." Luffy handed the dragon off to her. "I am." He got into a fighting stance. "Bring it on."

The two started fighting. Ash was interested when she saw Luffy stretch. _Hm. It's like he's made of taffy or rubber. This is fascinating. I like these people. They can do things that people where I'm from can't._ She watched him fight while Momonosuke wrapped around her body.

"He is amazing," the dragon commented. Ash had to agree. He was a great fighter.

Suddenly, she saw the man push out the smoke around him. "What is he doing?" The smoke started to get closer to her.

"Ash! We need to move! That gas will kill you!" She took the chance and stepped into the gas. Nothing happened to her.

"What are you talking about?" Ash turned to Luffy. "Luffy!" The kid stopped fighting for a moment to give her his attention. "I'm going to go find Law! Should I take Momonosuke with me?!"

"Yeah! Keep him safe!" Nodding, Ash walked away from the two fighting and to the way in. She walked for a bit before coming across a noise further down the way.

"Law? Is that you?" she asked loud enough to be heard.

"Ash-ya? What are you doing here?" Law came into view, pulling a cart with Smoker's help. "Where did you go earlier? I thought you were staying with me?"

"Sorry. I got lost." She walked up to them. "Do you need some help? I can push it from behind if you want." Smoker eyed her for a moment. Law said that she could help if she really wanted to. Going behind the cart, she put her hands on the cart. "Momonosuke, hang on. I don't want you to fall off." The dragon nodded as she started to push.

Ash was surprised when she pushed it with no problem. It was like pushing an empty cardboard box. "Wow! You're really strong!" She shrugged as she kept pushing.

"Ash-ya? Don't push so fast. We are still on the other side," Law called.

"Sorry. You should get in, then. I'll push it the rest of the way." She heard the two move before she pushed with more effort. It got to the point where she was running and pushing at the same time. They got to the spot with Luffy in record time.

"Straw Hat-ya." Luffy was standing in the middle of the room. Caesar was missing. "Where is Caesar?" That was a good question.

"I flung him down the way. Why?" Ash came up to them.

"Because we are supposed to kidnap him!" Ash knew his frustration. _This kid is a little slow. I wonder why Law allied with him._

Smoker walked up to her. "You are Ash, right?" Both Law and Luffy looked over to him along with Ash.

"Yes. And you are Smoker." She handed Momonosuke over to Luffy. "Is there a problem?"

"Are you on Trafalgar's crew?"

"No. He is just a friend of mine." She was glad to call him a friend. "Is there a problem with that?" He turned his arm into smoke. _These people are strange. I don't understand what they are about._

"Any friend of a Pirate is an enemy of the Marines." He pushed the smoke toward her as Luffy waited for the rest of his crew. Ash grabbed the smoke.

"Please, don't attack me. I don't want to fight you, Mr. Smoker." She yanked down and made him fall to the ground. "I don't understand what you are trying to do, but I'm not someone you can just attack and not expect me to return the favor."

Smoker looked up at her with shock. Ash let go of the smoke. She hadn't been expecting to actually grab the smoke. "How did you do that?" Law asked as he came up to her. Ash shrugged. She didn't even know.

Once Luffy's crew and the other Marines were all there, they all piled into the cart and rode it out of the facility. She sat next to a man named Sanji. "My! You look lovely! I hope you are getting on the ship with us!" he said as they rode out. Even though he was flirting with her, it didn't bother her. It was more like a playful flirtation than anything else.

Nami nudged her arm. "If he gets on your nerves, don't hesitate to punch or kick him." Ash smiled and nodded. The woman seemed to realize something in her about the flirting.

...

Outside, Ash was shocked to see Caesar. He was staring at them with wide eyes. "Hey! What's that in the sky?!" Luffy shouted as he pointed to the sky. Ash looked up and paled. _What the fuck are they doing here?!_ She immediately stepped behind Law. He looked behind himself to her.

"Law! What are you doing here?!" Baby 5 called from the sky. She dropped down with Buffalo right behind. She kept herself behind Law. She didn't want to face the woman. She was the one that took care of her and she left her.

"Are they friends of your, Torao?" Law and Ash looked at them. She had to look around Law to see them.

"No. They are the enemy." She watched them get ready to fight.

As they fought, Law and Smoker were able to chain Caesar up. "Law! Where is Ash?!" Baby 5 shouted as she fought Nami. Ash had kept close to Law's side since she could blend in with him. She made sure her jacket covered the bottom of her face and her beanie hid her hair.

"None of your business." Law answered as he stood next to her. He was taller than her by about a foot or so. He moved to be in front of her. He made sure they didn't see her.

"Trafalgar, I will ask you. What is Ash to you?" She looked over to Smoker. He eyed her from the other side of Law.

"As she said, Ash-ya is a friend of mine." Law held his nadochi in front of him. It was like he was blocking Smoker from getting to her. "Don't mess with her."

Ash looked to the fight. She was fascinated by Baby 5. She was changing from weapon to weapon. It was shocking. Everything was surprising her.

When they were finished fighting, Law got them to chain up Baby 5 and Buffalo. He stood in front of them. She watched him make that Room thing. He sliced and took their heads off. He handed Baby's to her. "Hold this for a moment." She looked at her head.

"Ash? Is that you?" Ash turned the head away from her. "Law! What have you gotten her to do?! You brainwashed her, didn't you?!"

"I did no such thing." Law came back with Buffalo's head. "She agreed to come with me on this." He got her to follow him. They placed the heads on a boat with rescue on the sail. He also placed a snail on the boat with their heads.

They set the boat sailing in a random direction. Everyone sat around a fire and ate. It was stew. She ate five bowls so far. "I've never met a woman that eats so much," Usopp said. She looked over to him as she ate her fifth bowl.

"Was Law starving you?" Sanji asked in that sweet voice he used before. He glare over to Law. Ash looked over to where Law was. He was sitting beside Smoker and talking to him.

Ash looked back to Sanji. "No. I just normally eat a lot." She started on her sixth bowl.

"Luffy-san, you might have competition," Brook said to the man. He was on his seventh bowl of the stew.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked as he slurped his stew. Ash laughed. _These people are funny. I like them._

"You like us?" Chopper was the one to speak.

"Yes. I like you all."

"When did she say that?" Franky asked. He looked confused.

"Just now. Didn't you all hear her?" She saw the reindeer was worried about it.

"No. She didn't say anything. I was watching her. Her mouth never moved," Franky answered. She smiled.

 _Chopper, they can't hear me. Only you can._ His eyes widened. "How?! That is amazing!" She finished her bowl. He got up and came over to her. "What are you? How can you do that?"

"Do what? What did she do?" Luffy asked. He came to sit beside her. He was eyeing her up and down. "She hasn't moved since we sat down."

"Can you do that with people?"

"No. I can't. Only with animals or something similar." Luffy put a hand on her back. "Ahhhhhhh!" Her scream scared everyone. She fell to the ground and curled up in pain.

"Straw Hat-ya, what did you do?" Law came over to them. He crouched before her. Luffy didn't answer at first. "What did you do?"

"I just touched her back." He sounded worried.

"I should've warned you. Don't touch her back."

"L-Law..." He looked down at her. "S-Something is...w-wet...on my b-back..." she said through pants. The pain was almost unbearable.

"We need to get to your ship." Law helped her stand up. "We need to go anyway." Luffy's crew agreed. He helped her to walk a little bit. "Are you okay with walking by yourself?"

"N-No. Could you...help me?" Law agreed and helped her walk. The Straw Hats looked concerned and worried. Ash sighed. _This is a predicament. I hate this. I hope they don't worry too much about me. Hope I can continue to help Law with his plan._

 **Hope you like this new chapter. The Straw Hats have appeared! If you are wondering, her back is still not healed. Something might be wrong with it. You will also find something out about Ash in the next chapter if you haven't figured it out yet. Please, leave you opinion on this chapter for me. I love all of your comments. Have a pleasant day. Tatty-bye! I love you all!**


	7. Getting To Know Her and Problems

**Getting To Know Her and Problems**

On the Straw Hat's ship, Chopper escorted Law and Ash to the infirmary. Her back hurt like a bitch and the pain wasn't going away like normal. On top of that, something wet was running down her back. "Could you tell me what's going on? Maybe I can help." Chopper seemed to be worried over her. She was trying to get used to people doing that.

"It would be better to show you instead of explaining it," Law replied. He brought her to the room. "Ash-ya, I need to remove your coat, okay?" Ash nodded. Her mind was clouded with pain. She just wanted it to stop. She got the long coat removed from her body as she stared downward.

"Just...be careful," she said. Law nodded. Sitting down, Ash lifted her shirt until it was off. The movement made her wince with the pain of moving her back. She tossed it to the side. "What is...wet on my...back?"

Law walked around her and undid the bandages. He gasped. Chopper screamed. "Ash-ya, this is not good." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I need to clean the wounds. They are infected and what was wetting your back was puss. Can you walk to the bathroom with me?"

"What happened to her back to be this bad?!" Chopper asked. He sounded exceedingly concerned.

"I...was bitten...by a...sea king." She stood from the bed but swayed on her feet. "I can walk...a little." She took a shaky step forward. "How far...away is the...bathroom?"

"It's just down the hall. Do you need any antiseptic to clean them?" Law nodded and the reindeer handed a bottle over to him. She crossed her arms over her chest to hide her breasts and followed Law out of the room. She wasn't bothered by walking like that at the moment because the burning pain in her back was all she could think of.

When they got to the bathroom, Law went over to one of the shower heads and turned it on. "Do you want to finish getting undressed or do you want to keep the rest of your clothes on?" Ash didn't answer and just finished undressing. It hurt her even more to do that.

Going over to the shower, she screamed again when the water hit her back. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash dropped to her knees because of the pain. She gripped her arms and almost ripped her skin because of the pain.

Law took her hands off her arms and then went to her back. He had taken off his coat a moment before. He grabbed a rag from somewhere. Law proceeded to wash her back which made her scream every time he ran it over her back. The door opened a little bit later. Ash was huffing and her throat hurt from how much she had screamed.

"Law? What are you doing?" Ash looked over to see Nami in the doorway. Tears were running down her face and mixing with the water.

"I am tending to Ash-ya's wounds. I am trying to clean the puss off of her back." He ran the rag over her again. Another scream was ripped from her throat.

"It sounds like you're killing her!" Nami sounded worried and slightly like she was freaking out with what was happening. "We can hear her from the deck of the ship!"

"I-I'm...s-s-sorry for...b-b-b-bothering everyo-one..." Ash said through pained pants. She rested her head on the wall. "C-Could you..."

"No! Don't you dare ask for that," Law scolded her. "You are not going to do that with me right here."

"B-But...it w-will make...me s-stop sc-screaming." She turned to look at him. Ash had to immediately look away from Law. She didn't want to face him with that look on his face. It was a look of pure concern and worry. It made her cry even more.

"I said no. Nami-ya, please leave. She will be fine in a bit. Tell the others not to worry about what is happening. She is going to be alright." She watched Nami nod before shutting the door behind her. "Now, no more of doing that. Just try to bear with me for a little longer."

Ash tried to keep her screams at a minimum. She, at some point, bit her arm to keep quiet. She bit so hard that it drew blood and she almost tore the piece of flesh of her arm off.

When Law was finished washing her back, Ash released her arm from her mouth. She fell forward and gasped for breath. Law placed a hand on her shoulder. "D-Don't...Don't touch...me..." Law removed his hand from her. "J-Just...give me...a m-minute..." She heard him walk away after a moment.

"When you are ready, I need to disinfect them. It might keep them from getting infected in the future," Law said as he went and sat on the other side of the room. Ash sat up and leaned her right side against the wall, facing Law. The water was still flowing from the shower head and looked to Law.

"S-Sorry about that," she apologized. "It just...hurts. A lot." Law nodded. He was leaned against the wall. "I don't know...what happened. Didn't...Didn't you check them...before we got to that...island?"

"Yes. There was redness around the wounds but nothing like what I saw this time. I wonder why they aren't healing properly." That was something she wanted to know as well. Something was wrong with them.

"Torao, where is Ash?" She turned her head to the door. Law quickly got up and locked the door.

"I am helping her get cleaned up. Is there something you need, Straw Hat-ya?"

"Sanji wanted to know if she was okay." There was silence for a moment. "Is she okay?'

"Yes. I'm...I'm okay. I'll come back when we're finished. Tell Sanji that I'm...thankful for his concern." Luffy agreed and then walked off. "Did you get my clothes with yours?'

"Yes. I brought a few pairs of clothing for both of us. Don't worry about that." He walked over and cut the water off. "Are you ready for me to clean them?"

"Yeah. Let's...get this over with." Ash turned her back to him as he got the bottle of antiseptic. He poured it over her back. She screamed again but this time she punched the floor. It cracked the tiles underneath. With the pain still there, she punched the floor again. _It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!_ "Make it stop! Please, make it stop!"

"Ash-ya, it's okay. Please, calm down." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She punched the floor again and almost put a hole in it this time. She didn't break more of the tiles, though.

When the pain subsided a little, Ash saw that her arm was bleeding profusely. "Could you clean this, too?" She held up her arm. Law poured some on her arm. It didn't hurt anywhere as much as her back. Law brought a towel to her. She wrapped it around herself and stood up.

Slowly, she walked with Law back to the infirmary. Ash was panting and she was exhausted. When they got there, she sat on the bed while Law helped her dry off and re-bandage her torso. He also bandaged her arm.

Chopper came in a few minutes later. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She should be." Law walked over to their stuffy that he brought. "Tony-ya, I need to tell you something in private." He turned to Ash. "We're going to leave you to get dressed. We'll meet you on the deck."

"Fine with me." She watched them leave before getting up and going to get dressed. She put on a white shirt, baggy black pants, her boots, and a dark red hoodie. Ash walked out of the infirmary and made her way to the deck.

Ash she got there, she heard Chopper talking to the crew. "Law wants us to keep an eye on Ash. He didn't explain why but we need to." Anger filled her at the comments.

"LAW! YOU ASSHOLE!" Ash broke the door down to get to him. She stomped over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "How dare you! I told you that I'm fine!" She punched him across the ship. She was huffing with anger. "I don't need to be watched like I am some child!"

Ash watched as Law stood back up. He rubbed his jaw. "Ash, what's going on?" Luffy asked. She turned her fury to Luffy.

"None of you business!" She looked back to Law. "That is my problem! Not yours to tell just anyone!" She screamed in frustration. Luffy walked up to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't touch me!" That made Luffy angry.

"We're just trying to help!" he shouted at her.

"Straw Hat-ya." Both looked over to Law. "You don't want to fight her." Her anger was still there.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"I don't care! She needs to calm down!" Luffy took a fighting stance. "Maybe she needs to fight it out!" She took ones as well.

Ash heard Law sigh. "This is not going to be good fro Straw Hat-ya." Luffy threw a punch at her. She easily dodged it by moving to the side. For her, it was child's play. She smiled at him. "Everyone, step back."

Gathering up all of her anger, Ash ran up to Luffy and punched him in the cheek. It sent him flying to the other side of the ship. "What?! How?!" Zoro asked. Luffy came back a minute later, bleeding from the mouth.

He wiped away the blood. "Are you still wanting to fight me, Luffy?" Her anger was gone since she put almost all of her anger into that one punch. He didn't look finished with their fight. "I don't want to fight you anymore." Ash put her hands down.

"What?! Only one punch and you're done?!" Luffy asked. She nodded.

"I put all of my anger into that punch." She turned around. "I'm fine now." She turned back around just in time to grab both of Luffy's fists. She held him at bay. "Luffy, I don't want to fight." He still pushed at her. She didn't move from her spot. It was as if he wasn't pushing her at all. "Please, I don't want to fight. It is pointless." She pushed Luffy away. "Don't come back to fight me."

"Amazing," Usopp said. "She was able to keep Luffy from pushing her back How is that possible?"

Luffy was huffing off to the side. He was in the same spot she pushed him to. "What is with you? You attack Torao and then punch me once. Now you don't want to fight me anymore." He walked up to her. "I don't get that."

"Straw Hat-ya, don't fight her anymore. She has enough problems." Law got in between them. "Plus, we have something to do."

After everyone was calm and okay, Ash laid down on the grass while Law spoke to Doflamingo. She wasn't bothered by it and was enjoying her time on the grass. It had been a while since she had last seen or touched it. Her back had stopped hurting and she was watching the clouds.

Her face then took on a black state. She looked around. Everyone was focused on what Law was doing. Ash rose from the ground and walked inside. She wasn't stopped as she made her way to the kitchen. Going through one of the drawers, she found a small knife. It was a paring knife.

After acquiring the object, she left the kitchen for the bathroom. "Where is Ash-ya? I told you all to keep an eye on her!" She ignored the shouting and continued on her way.

Arriving to the bathroom, she shut and locked the door behind her. Taking off her shirt, she looked at her arms. She undid the bandages on her torso and arm before sitting beside the door. Slowly, she started to slice her arms, stomach, and chest.

The knob jiggled on the door. "She's in here! Hurry! I smell blood!" She made three more slashes on her chest before the door was swung open. Law rushed in with Chopper, Nami, Robin, and Luffy in tow. She didn't look up to them.

"Torao-kun, is this what you were meaning?" Her hand was grabbed and the knife removed from her fingers.

"Yes. This is why I said to keep an eye on her," Law replied. He grabbed her arms and helped her up. "She does this at random points." She looked up to Law.

"Why are you here?" She looked over to the others. "What are you all doing here?" Their expressions were of concern and sadness. Her anger rose again. "Don't pity me. I'm not weak." Law hugged her to his chest. "I'm stronger than you think," she said into his chest.

"Come on. We'll get you fixed up again." Law grabbed her shirt and slipped it on her before they left. The others followed them. "When you see her face go blank, keep her in the same area as you."

"Got it," Nami said. They all nodded. She sat on a bed. Her expression was still one of emotionless.

"How long does it last? When will she be back to normal?" Robin asked. Ash looked to Luffy. A flash of the face of her brother took the place of Luffy's for a split second.

"Hm." Everyone turned to her. Law had left her to get bandages. "How interesting."

"What's interesting?" Luffy asked. She sighed. Tears fell down her cheeks. "What's going on, Torao? Why is she crying?" He got close to her and looked her in the eyes. She saw him and blinked.

"Ash-ya." She ignored Law. More tears flowed out of her eyes as she stared into the other's. "Ash-ya." Ahs felt him put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, look at me." Moving her gaze from Luffy, Ash looked up to Law.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she said as she wiped her face off.

"Okay. I need to clean your wounds." Ash agreed.

...

Night fell after a while. The Straw Hats were getting used to their new members Ash followed Law around most of the time. They got her to eat with them which was interesting. She got to know Momonsuke more and his father, Kin'emon. They had been watching her from a distance.

A bit after it turned dark, Caesar was stolen from their ship. "We need to get him back," Law said.

"I'll go with you," Luffy volunteered. Chopper also said he would go.

"I want to go, too," Ash said. They agreed even though the sub was small and only for two people.

When they got where they were, Ash agreed to stay with the sub. She laid down on the floor inside it. She was interested in it. Ash thought back to what had happened earlier that day. She had tried to harm herself again and Law stopped her. Again. She had gotten angry that Law for telling the crew to watch her like a child. Ash even had a small fight with Luffy. It was a strange day.

A few hours passed before she heard something climbing on the sub. Popping her head out, Ash saw Caesar trying to get in. His jaw dropped when hew saw her. Suddenly, Law and Luffy appeared out of thin air. "Caesar! There you are!"

"What is on your necks?" Ash got out of the sub and walked up to them. She touched it and it felt like some sort of metal or plastic. "Can you take it off?"

"No. Not by ourselves." Luffy was standing before her. "Come on. Torao wants you to come with us."

Ash nodded. She watched them plug their ears. She gave Law a questioning look. He told her not to worry about it. Walking with them, Ash saw that the place looked like a circus. It weirded her out. _I never liked circuses. They always gave me the creeps._

Luffy busted open a door. A man that looked exceedingly strange stood in the middle of the room. She stood next to Law. "Law! Straw Hat Luffy! How did you survive?!" He eyed her. "Who is she?!" He laughed. "Law! Luffy! Sit!" Nothing happened. "I said sit! Can't you hear me?!"

"Huh. I was correct." Law took out an ear plug. "If we can't hear you, your power doesn't work." The man laughed.

"But your friend is vulnerable." He threw something at her and the same collar formed around her neck. "My, what a fascinating specimen. What is her name?"

"Ash, what is he saying?" Luffy asked.

"Ash, sit!" Nothing happened. "I said, sit!"

"That is fascinating," Law said.

"She can hear me, can't she?!"

"Yes, I can. And you need to stop yelling," she answered. "You're loud and annoying." His jaw dropped.

A fight ensued after a moment between the man and Luffy. Law stood next to her. "That is amazing. You are immune to his devil fruit ability."

"Is that what this collar is? A devil fruit?" Law shook his head.

"No. It is an ability of a fruit. A devil fruit is a fruit that give you abilities that normal people do not possess."

"Like super powers?"

"You could say that. But there is a thing that prevents us from using out powers."

"Kind of like a kryptonite?" Law raised an eyebrow at her statement. "It's like a power drainer."

"Exactly like that. It is sea prism stone. We can't use our powers when we have it on us or around us." Ash nodded. "But, somehow, you are immune to his." Ash knew he was thinking when he went quiet for a moment. "I want to try something when we get back." Ash nodded.

She walked over and picked Chopper up when Luffy beat the man. The collars disappeared. She felt bad for how beat up the reindeer looked. They got back to the ship and were better. She listened to the strange animal talk. He was like a seal and turtle mix. He was nice and thanked them for what they had done. She also found out that he knew Luffy.

As the sun came up, she was glad to see it. Law had told her that he would wait to try what he wanted to do when they got to the destination. She saw it in the distance. _Hello again, Dressrosa. I didn't miss you all that much. Hope I never have to see you again after this mission._ The thought of the grin made her almost crush the railing under her hand. _That...monster. We will take you down. I will see to it_ personally.

 **Hope you like the addition to the story. Please, don't hesitate to tell me what you think. All reviews are welcome. Hope you have a great day and happy holidays. I love you all and the happiness you bring me with your reviews. Tatty-bye!**


	8. Meeting Again and More Surprises

**Meeting Again and More Surprises**

"Okay. Ash-ya, you stay right there. Nami-ya, stand just behind her." They were checking Law's theory he had. They were on the beach they landed on. He didn't tell anyone anything specific about the experiment, but Ash was okay with it.

"Just like this?" Nami asked from behind her.

"Yes. Now, please, stay still. I don't want this to mess up." Law created a Room and unsheathed his nadochi. With one swipe of the weapon, everyone waited for something to happen to Ash, Nami, or both of them. Ash was still standing like nothing happened. "Nami-ya, are you still in one piece?"

Ash looked behind herself to see that the woman was still standing and in one piece just like Ash. "Yeah. I'm still a whole person." The Room disappeared and everyone was shocked about what had happened.

"So, what have you concluded with your extremely dangerous experiment, Law?" Usopp asked. He had been worried the second Law had proposed the experiment. Ash walked over to see if Nami was, indeed, okay.

"It seems that devil fruit abilities do not work against Ash-ya. She acts as a sort of block or barrier and nothing passes through her." Law walked up to her. "She is like a person made of sea prism stone, but we can still use our powers around her and with her."

"Is that why Breed's collar didn't work on her?" Chopper asked. He was figuring it out along with Law.

"Precisely. She is like a shield to the abilities." Ash finished her check up on Nami. The woman was perfectly fine from where she could see.

"Robin-dono, can you create those arm things on her?" Kin'emon asked. Robin agreed to try it. When she tried, nothing happened. The arms never appeared.

"Torao-kun is right. I can't use my powers to create arms on her." Everyone was staring at her like she was an alien.

"What?" Suddenly, her back started to hurt and she dropped to a crouch. Ash gasped as they came to crowd around her. "Don't...Don't touch me." Her vision started to distort. As soon as the pain had started, it stopped. "I'm okay. I'm okay." Ash stood back up. "I'm going to be fine. It was just a slight pain. Nothing major."

With that out of the way, Ash was told to stay on the ship with Nami, Chopper, Momonosuke, and Brook. She reluctantly agreed and stayed on the ship with the others. She was petting the small snail she was given as she sat in the tree on the Sunny. It was a nice day and she was waiting for something to happen.

After a while, a woman from Doflamingo's crew came onto their ship. Ash knew her as Giolla. To Ash, the woman didn't know a thing about art. She claimed she was an artist, but Ash knew the truth. To keep herself safe from her, she stayed in the tree.

Soon, the ship looked horrible. It was an eyesore and she hated the way the ship looked. It was absolute wreck. It looked amazing before this...horror. Ash wanted to do something but was worried that she could actually cause more harm than good.

After a little more torture for the others, Law called them and told them to bring the ship around Green Bit. Luffy's crew knew that it was going to be difficult to do so in the situation they were in. Brook, in the end, was able to knock Giolla out and get the place fixed up. _So, devil fruit powers only work when they are awake. Fascinating._ She dropped out of the tree to help them chain her up.

"Ash! Is that you?!" Ash turned to give the woman her back. "Young Master has been looking all over for you! Why did you leave us?!" She ignored Giolla.

As she watched the sky, she saw Doflamingo there. Quickly, she hid behind Brook so the other wouldn't see her. It didn't seem to bother the skeleton all that much. Soon, Sanji came to help them out. It was a good effort, but he was caught in the air by something shiny in the sky. It was hard to see but she saw the twinkle of something in the sky.

Before anything horrible could happen to Sanji, Law saved him and then teleported himself, Sanji, and Caesar to the ship. He tossed Sanji to he side. Ash watched him walk inside. She followed him inside. "Tell me, what happened to you?" she asked after the door was shut behind her. He went to his room and she followed him. "Tell me. You said everything would be okay."

So he couldn't leave the room, Ash stood in front of the door. He sighed. "It's nothing major. I'm going to be okay." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I miscalculated a little. You need to stay safe." She glared at him.

"Law, I am not weak. I can take care of myself." She didn't push him away even as she talked. "I just...I want to help. Why won't you let me do that? Why won't you let me help?" Her anger wasn't as bad, but she was still upset with him over that.

"You can help." He sighed. "I should've gotten you to go with Straw Hat-ya." He let her go before grabbing a heart off the nightstand. Law took her by the arm. "Come with me."

They exited the ship only to find that Doflamingo was on his way to the ship again. "Nami-ya! Get out of her! Take Caesar with you!" He grabbed Giolla nd Ash grabbed a hold of Law. He teleported them to the bridge that was very worn.

"Law, I don't know about this," Ash whispered to him with her face in his back. Her arms were around his waist.

"I will by you some time to go and find someone from the crew." She nodded. Law held his nadochi to Giolla's throat. They waited for Doflamingo to arrive.

Ash removed her hands from around Law when the other man joined them on the bridge. "Law, it's good to see you after so long. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you a month ago." Ash tensed. She knew what he was talking about.

After a bit, Giolla was told to leave. Ash stayed behind Law and kept quiet. Law had given her a description of where to get herself. She had it memorized but she would need time to create the portal before she could get there.

"Law, where is Ash?" That made her tense up even more and Law tensed up as well. "Fuffuffu. I know you are hiding her from me. It will be only a matter of time before I find her." She was disgusted with the way he talked. It disturbed her and bothered her.

"That is none of your business. She left you of her own accord. You have no reign over her. She's free." That sounded like he was saying it from another's perspective.

"Fuffuffu. You sound just like him." Footsteps got closer. Law started to back up so she had to do so with him. "Is she disguised like the others? Or is she on a different island all together? Tell me."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Law replied. Ash looked around him just in time to see Doflamingo slice at him. Not thinking, she grabbed Law's arms, spun them around, and made him duck just in time. The strings never harmed her or Law. Just as fast as she spun the around, she had him facing back at Doflamingo.

"What just happened?" Doflamingo sounded confused. She felt Law crouch down a little.

"That was not a good idea," Law whispered to her. She had to agree. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. "You need to get out of here. Now." Ash agreed after she apologized to him.

"Law, what are you planning?" Ash dropped down enough to where Law could still shield her. She placed her hand on the ground and imagined the place Law had told her about. It was right outside the coliseum. The building was an orangish-yellow colour and stood hundreds of feet high. It had many shops nearby. "Ash, I know you are there."

Her hand passed though the ground. "Go! Get out of here now!" As fast as she could, Ash pushed herself through the portal and pulled herself out of the ground.

Once she was out, Ash looked around and didn't find anyone from Luffy's crew. Her worry for Law rose with each passing second. After a bit of waling around, she found Zoro and Kin'emon standing outside the coliseum. She ran up to them.

"Ash-dono, you look like you have seen a ghost." Ash tried to catch her breath. "Is something wrong?"

"Where is Torao? And the others?" Luffy asked.

Before she could answer them, something came crashing to the ground just a little ways away. Her fear that something horrible happened to Law rose as they waited for the dust to clear. She gasped at what she saw. Her fear had come true. Law looked horrible and it upset her to a great extent.

Doflamingo landed a few feet away from the knocked out Law. Anger and sadness filled her at the sight. She went to go to Law but Zoro held her back. "Torao! What are you doing with Doflamingo?!"

As soon as the question was asked, gun shots rang through the air. Tears poured down her face. Her friend was being shot and Zoro was holding her back by her arm. She struggled against him as the last shot was made.

"Law!" she cried. Doflamingo turned to look in their direction. She didn't care if he saw her anymore. Finally, she broke free from Zoro and ran over to Law. Ash dropped to her knees and went to touch him. Before she could lay even a finger on him, Doflamingo grabbed her up from behind along with Law by his jacket. In her opinion, it was rude.

Ash heard Luffy shout for them but all she could focus on was Law's beat up, bleeding, and bruised body. Doflamingo had her around her waist while he left with a man she had never seen before. Law was unconscious and that upset her more than anything else.

When they got back to the palace, Ash didn't speak a single word to Doflamingo. "Ash, is there something wrong?" _Oh, I wonder. Is there something wrong?_ She didn't even look at him. "Why won't you speak to me?" _Huh. I wonder._ She was sitting on a bed in a room Doflamingo brought her to.

"Young Master, Baby 5 wants to know if she could try to get her to say something?" Doflamingo was frustrated but agreed to let her try. He left the room and Baby 5 entered.

"Ash, sweetie, are you okay?" Ash didn't acknowledge her. Her mind was set on making sure Law was okay. The woman came to her and placed her hands on her cheeks. She turned Ash's head to her. "Please, say something to me."

"I want to see Law," she said. It was the first thing she actually said to the woman. "I need you to take me to him." She watched Baby 5's eyes light up and she blushed.

"Y-You need me?" Ash nodded. "Come with me. Doffy may be in the room but I can at least take you there." Ash agree with her and Baby 5 led her to a room with windows and four chairs. As she had said, Doflamingo was in the room. Law was sitting in a chair with the back in the shape of a heart.

Quickly, she rushed over to him and checked on him. She never said anything about aloud to where the other's could hear. "Law, are you okay?" she whispered to where only he could hear.

"Sort of. Are you okay?" He was whispering as well. She nodded.

Ash hugged him. "Baby 5, why did you bring her here? She was supposed to stay in the room." Ash moved to crouch beside Law. She wouldn't move even if they tried to drag her.

"W-Well, I did get her to speak to me. She wanted to see Law." Baby 5 looked nervous. "I thought she would speak more if I let her see him." Ash gripped the chains on Law. If they wanted her to go somewhere, he was going too.

Doflamingo sighed. "I guess that it's better than nothing." He turned to them with a grin. Ash glared at him. "What's with the anger?"

"You hurt Law," was her short answer. He walked up to the two of them.

"Is he really that important to you?" His grin turned to a frown. "What is he to you?" There was jealousy in his voice.

"He is my friend and the doctor that has been helping me with my back." She never stopped glaring at him. He still looked angry about that. "He is also someone I trust with my life." That seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Young Master. Please, calm down," Buffalo said. He sounded worried.

He was so angry that he got ready to slice at Law. Ash quickly got in his lap to shield him just as the strings came at them. She felt nothing hit her. Ash never even blinked. Since Law told her about her ability, she was ready to take advantage of it to keep Law safe.

"Young Master!" Baby 5 ran over to her. She immediately started checking her over. "You could've killed her!" Once she was sure that Ash was okay, she turned to Doflamingo. "It seems that you have missed her."

"Please, get her out of here. I have some questions for Law." Hearing that, Ash turned in Law's lap and grabbed the sides of the chair.

"I'm not going anywhere!" She mentally apologized to Law for their situation. It was indecent and probably uncomfortable. Baby 5 grabbed her arms and tried to pull her off the chair. That proved more difficult for the woman and the chair started to move with her.

"She won't let go! I'm trying to get her off!" Law started to laugh. It made the whole room go quiet.

"What's so funny, Law?" Doflamingo asked with a grin. Ash knew it wasn't because he was happy. He was pissed the fuck off and that was plainly obvious.

When he calmed his laughter down, he explained to the man what was so funny. "You think you can just pry her off of this chair? Or even get her to do what you want?" He laughed again. "From her staying with me for a month, I have found some things out about her."

"Explain," Doflamingo commanded. Ash still kept herself close to Law. His face was inches away from her chest. It was a little awkward for her but she didn't know what else to do.

"Well, for starters, she is stronger than you think she is." He shifted underneath her. She moved slightly to help him feel more comfortable. "Get her angry and it's ten times worse." He grinned at the man. "Another is that she has a few abilities that are quite fascinating."

Doflamingo looked as if he was getting even more furious than he already was with every word. "Law, do you remember what I told you a month ago?" Doflamingo lowered his head as he spoke.

"No. Not really. Like you said, it has been a month." Ash knew that Law was being a smartass. It was something he did normally and she was used to it by now.

"I told you that if you lay even a finger on her in any way, I would rip your throat out and cut your hands off." He took a step closer to them. "You are making me want to act on my words."

Suddenly, Doflamingo's head was cut off. It was shocking and make her gasp. A Spartan-looking man was the one to cut his head off. She watched his body fall to its knees and his head fall to the floor. She thought it was safe enough and got off of Law's lap. She was a little confused. _Where is the blood? Shouldn't he be bleeding?_

Luffy came into the room with a woman under his arm. She had a key in her hand. "Torao! Ash! I came to save you!"

Law and Luffy had an argument over the alliance as she stood to the side. Luffy told Law to shut up as he tried to unlock the lock on the cuffs. He asked the woman to do it when he couldn't. She said that she couldn't do it because she was also a devil fruit eater. "Ash, can you unlock it?" Ash looked down at the key. She took the key into her hand.

Before she could put the key into the hole, Doflamingo started to talk. It made her look over to his head. _Isn't he supposed to be dead? How can he still be talking?_ He asked Law about the Birdcage. It was something she had never heard about before.

"Pica, get them out of the palace. Leave Ash." With that said, Ash grabbed onto Law and followed him out of the palace as Pica threw them out. She was no happy with anyone that was with Doflamingo. They were pissing her off.

On the ground, Ash laid down next to Law's chair that he was still attached to. Today was a pain in the ass. As she stared up to the sky, a cage started to form. "It's starting," Law said. The others looked up as well. Ash watched it get created. "We have nowhere to go." _Trapped in a cage. Like poor, helpless birds. This isn't looking good for us._

 **Hope you like the new chapter. Please, don't hesitated to tell me your opinion. I wish you happy holidays. Have a great day. Tatty-bye!**


	9. Talking Back

**Talking Back**

Ash started at the sky as the Birdcage was formed. It looked scary but at the same time, interesting. She had never been inside a cage before but knew that it wasn't a good thing. Luffy shook her shoulder as she watched the sky.

Sitting up, Ash saw that they had gotten Law off of the chair and that they were ready to move out. "Violet said that you dropped the key. She's going to go look for it." Ash nodded as she stood up. "We need to meet her there. Come on." She nodded again as they watched Pica materialize out of the ground.

When he spoke, all hell broke loose. She started to run with Luffy and Zoro. Luffy had Law under his arm. "Luffy, you need to stop messing with your enemies," Zoro said as they ran. Pica spoke again. Zoro put his hand over his mouth to keep in his laughter.

"See?! Even you can't help but laugh at it!" Luffy shouted. Ash just kept running with them. She had heard his voice before but had never laughed at it. She didn't see what was so funny about his voice to the other two. _I've heard and seen funnier things before._

Suddenly, they were flung as Pica's fist connected with the ground. She found herself near some buildings without the others. Her side slammed into one of the buildings and it stopped her from moving. She winced in pain as it exploded on her side. She waited for everything to calm down before moving to do anything.

Once she gathered enough energy to pick herself up, Ash started her search for the others. She found them talking to a man with long, blond hair, a Three Musketeers-like hat, and a cape around his shoulders. She limped over to them as she held her side.

"What's going on? Who are you?" she asked as she came to them. She stood next to Law.

"My, what a beautiful woman!" the man said. "Are you here to admire me?!" She rolled her eyes at him.

"He's Cabbage. I fought with him in the coliseum. He's on our side." Luffy grinned at the man. Soon enough, Luffy and Cabbage started to argue about who was going to take down Doflamingo. A few minutes later, Luffy just picked up Law and motioned for them to leave. Cabbage was talking about popularity among other things. Ash started to follow them but her side was hurting her too much.

"Straw Hat-ya! Wait!" She heard Law call to the teen. Ash had fallen to her knees after a moment of running. Her side was killing her.

"Zoro. Can you carry her?" Ash looked up to see the man coming to her.

"Yeah." He turned around and lowered his back to her. "This way I can fight when I need to and you won't be in the way." Ash looked to Law. He nodded in a silent agreement. Ash got onto Zoro's back and wrapped her legs around his waist to hang on. Her arms went around his neck.

After a bit, Ash had started to doze off because of the pain. It was hurting and making her feel faint. She had been placed on another thing but didn't say anything to anyone about it. Law was lying next to her. He started to talk to Luffy about someone important to him.

"Doflamingo killed someone I admired. His name was Corazon. He was an executive of the Don Quixote family and Doflamingo's biological younger brother." Ash was surprised to hear that. She turned her head to look at him. He had a straight face even after telling them that.

After a bit more, she passed out. It was because of the pain in her side and the exhaustion of keeping herself awake to give them less of a problem to deal with.

...

 _ **"Ash." She punched at the wall again. "Ash, calm down." Another punch. Another hole in the wall. "Ash!" She turned her attention to her red-headed best friend. Her anger was almost to the point of exploding. Tears of frustration and anger filled her eyes and spilled over.**_

 _ **"What the fuck do you want, Fox?" She punched the wall again. She didn't want to hit him. She wouldn't hit him. Not again. Not after the trip to the hospital.**_

 _ **"Can we talk about this? Instead of you punching holes in the wall?" Ash took her fist out of the hole-infested wall and turned to him. "Sit down somewhere." She sat on the edge of the bed.**_

 _ **"What do you want me to say? That I lied? That I was shown that my word means nothing in this God forsaken town?" She ran a hand through her slightly long hair. It disgusted her. Memories filled her and she scrunched up her nose at them.**_

 _ **"I believe you. It's just..." Ash glared at him.**_

 _ **"Just what?"**_

 _ **Fox sighed. "He has ties in the government. He can manipulate them into thinking anything he wants them to."**_

 _ **"Hahaha. Should've know." She got up and went to the bathroom. Ash picked up a pair of scissors on her way and started to cut her hair when she stood in front of the mirror. "You accuse that man of molesting or trying to rape you and it backfires on you. Like a dog that changed its mind and sees you as a threat instead of a harmless bystander."**_

 _ **"I know you told them the truth. You wouldn't just come out and say anything like that to the public if it wasn't the truth." Fox had followed her to the bathroom. "Why are you cutting your hair? It looked great before." He didn't know.**_

 _ **Ash had watched all the hair fall into the sink. She place the scissors on the side before looking into the mirror again. "I don't like being treated like I'm a delicate flower and that I won't do anything to protect myself." She glared at herself in the mirror. "People are going to start to realize that I'm not all bark and no bite." She grinned into the mirror. "This bitch doesn't just bark. The bark is just a warning. Next comes the bite. And it will be a nasty bite when I get you in my jaws. Cause I won't let you go until I rip your skin off or you bleed to death." Ash turned to Fox. He was grinning along with her.**_

...

Ash opened her eyes to see that the Birdcage was still in place. The only difference with the situation was that she didn't hear any of the others. She sat up and shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her side had stopped hurting as bad as before but it still hurt. She looked around and saw that she was on the top of the palace. Doflamingo was sitting just next to him.

"Fuffuffu. Good. You're awake." She glared at him. Her head hurt like hell and she was pissed just by seeing him. It made it worse when he spoke to her.

"Where are Luffy and Law?" Ash knew she hit a sensitive spot when she asked that. It made Doflamingo frown. "What did you do?"

"I just stole you from the a bit ago." He laughed again. His grin was back. "Now, since Law isn't here, why don't you tell me your relationship with him?" She glared even harder at him.

"Like I told you before, he is my friend and the doctor that has been helping me with my back." She stood up. "You have no reign over me." It was her turn to grin. "I am free. And that won't change as long as I am alive."

"Ash! How dare you speak to Doffy like that! He has given you a place to stay and food to eat when you were hurt!" Her anger rose.

"And treated me like a prisoner!" Ash grinned again. "I had lied."

"Lied about what?" Doflamingo seemed interested in what she had to say.

"The day I disappeared for a while, I wasn't in the restroom. I had taken a walk outside to the beach." He frowned again. "I never trusted you from the moment I heard your voice." Ash laughed. "Hell, I trusted Baby 5 more than anyone else in this place. I trusted Law because of what you told me the night before and he wasn't with you. He actually let me do whatever I wanted and go wherever I wanted!"

"I would have given you the same things," Doflamingo replied.

"Hahaha. That's funny. Last thing I heard, I couldn't go anywhere outside of the palace without a chaperone. Law let me go places without being watched!" She stomped her food and almost put a hole in the ground. "Now, where are my friends?"

Suddenly, strings were wrapped around her. They were holding her but not cutting her. She didn't think they could. "Ash, you don't need to worry about them, right now." She was brought to stand in front of him. He was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sorry that I upset you. Why don't I apologize for my mistake." Ash hated the way his voice sounded. It sent a shiver of disgust down her spine. She was then moved to sit on Doflamingo's lap. He kissed the top of her head.

 _Luffy. Law. I hope you get here soon of I will be the one to kick his ass. I'm playing along to buy you some time. Hurry the fuck up or he will already be killed by the time you get here._ She decided not to struggled against the strings. Ash would only either pass through them or break them and not get cut.

Not too long after her torture started, Luffy and Law appeared on the roof. She was ecstatic to see them. "Mingo! Let her go!" Luffy looked ready to kill him. Law was in a similar state.

"Now, why would I do that? So you can take her away again? Or so that you can keep her to yourselves?" She saw fury burning in Law's eyes. There was something else that she had seen before too but couldn't place what it was.

She closed her eyes as the fight started. She didn't want to see either of them get hurt. After a few minutes, Doflamingo disappeared from under her and she fell onto the seat he had been sitting on. Ash pushed at the strings and they disappeared. She looked over to see Law pointing his nadochi at Trebol. She smiled.

About a good while later, Ash found herself being held down by Trebol as Doflamingo severed Law's arm from his body. His screams of agony made her start to cry. Luffy was a floor below dealing with his own problem. She watched as Doflamingo attacked him more.

Anger, sadness, and grief settled into her as she saw Law get shot multiple times. When he was left alone, Ash's face took on one of blankness. _I'm sorry, Law. But I can't help it. Please, forgive me._ She didn't even have to struggle out of the sticky goo-like stuff.

Ash walked towards Law's nadochi. It was a sharp object and good for cutting. "Trebol, I thought you were holding her down?"

"I was! How did she escape?!" She made it over to the weapon and lifted up the sleeves of her shirt. Lifting the nadochi, she began to slice at her arms. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five._ Six... She counted in her head as she sliced at her skin.

"Get her to stop! She'll kill herself at this point!" Soon enough, the weapon was taken and thrown away from her. Her gaze was still blank. Blood leaked down her arms and dripped onto the ground. She stared down at it.

Luffy's shouting rang through her head. She was brought away from Law's body. Her only thoughts were that she let him die. _I was right here and I let him kill him. I should've done something but I didn't. Now, Law is dead._

Luffy stopped moving near Law's body. She was curious at to what was happening. Luffy went to attack Doflamingo but was quickly replaced with Law. Relief flooded into her at the sight of her friend. It took a large weight off of her shoulders.

Slowly, her vision started to fade. _I've lost too much blood. I...I'm sorry, Law. Please, don't be angry with me. I'm so sorry._ After that, she passed out from blood loss.

When she woke up, she was lying next to Law on some grass. He was getting his arm reattached to his body. She lifted her arm and saw that it was bandaged. Ash lifted the other to find it in the same state. "Law, what...what's going on?" He looked to her and she saw that he was relieved about something.

"Good. You're awake." A small person came up to her. She was beautiful and she looked ready to cry. "They healed you as much as they could."

"My name is Princess Mansherry." There was a small man that came up to her.

"Some of the cuts on your arms needed stitches so I sewed those closed. I had to find some thread to do so." The Princess started to cry.

"Why is she crying?" Ash brought her hand out to the small female. The girl grabbed her fingers and cried into them.

"We were so worried about you!" she cried. Ash felt guilty. "You lost a lot of blood and were on the brink of death! That man is horrible! How could he do this to you?!" Mansherry squeezed her fingers as tears poured from her eyes and wet her hand.

Ash looked to Law. He shook his head as if to tell her not to say anything about it. She nodded and picked up the girl. "I'm sorry to worry you. I promise, it won't happen again." She placed Mansherry on her chest. She sat there. "I'm still exhausted and dizzy. What's happening with the fight?"

"Straw Hat-ya is fighting Doflamingo. He seems to be winning but it's too early to say," Law informed. She looed to where he was pointing.

"He's winning, Trafalgar! There is no doubt about that!" Ash knew that voice. It was Cabbage. She was okay with him since Luffy told her he was on their side.

In the sky, Ash saw Luffy. Or something that resembled Luffy. The person or object was large and moved fast. She could see him even though it was almost near impossible when he moved. He looked terrifying and he slightly scared her. From the sweet, goofy teen she had met to an almost monster like form.

As she watched what happened, Luffy suddenly disappeared. Law grabbed her arm and they were teleported to a roof top. "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute. Just...stay safe." Ash nodded as Law made another Room and teleported somewhere else.

Ash looked to the sky again. _Mother, father, Cedric. Please, help me stay alive long enough to figure out what I want after this. To be truthful, I don't know if I want to go home. I would like for you to tell Fox that I'm sorry and that he means the world to me but I want to stay here._ She smiled up to the sky.

A few minutes later, Law appeared on the roof with Luffy. He was almost passed out and it was a sad sight to see. "What's wrong with him? Why is he so exhausted?"

Law's breath was labored and Ash knew he was in pain. "His Haki is depleted. He needs to gain it back or we will be killed." He went silent for a second. "I forgot to tell you that the Birdcage is closing in on us." A spark of fear coursed through her but knew that it was only a matter of time before they were saved.

Going over to Luffy, she laid down next to him. She saw an open cut on his arm. Taking her thumb, she bit it enough to make it bleed. When she had gathered enough blood, she dropped it into the cut on his arm. She knew it seemed strange and that she was suffering from blood loss already, but she had an idea.

Settling back down, she watched to see how he reacted to her blood. She acted positively to his. Maybe he would do the same with hers. Deciding to sit up instead to get a better view, she watched his eyes spark to life. There was a fire burning in his soul that she could see. It was renewed inside him.

Slowly, he started to rise from the ground. Ash smiled. _This is interesting._ Law looked over and his eyes widened. Luffy walked over to him and spoke about getting back into the action. Law tried to tell him that it wasn't time but Luffy insisted.

As Law made a Room, she stood up and walked over to Law. Luffy disappeared and the woman known as Violet was in his place. Ash plopped down on the ground next to Law and sighed. Violet seemed to be okay and she thanked Law.

"Ash, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Ash smiled. She was starting to like that they were worried about her.

"Yes, thank you." Ash turned her attention to Law. "I'm more worried for Law than anything else." She watched his face turn a light shade of pink. Violet smiled at them.

"Yes. I understand." A little bit later, Law saved a pink-haired woman from falling to her death. She dropped onto the roof with them. Ash noticed that she was dressed like a gladiator. It was a revealing outfit in her opinion. Too much skin was showing.

"Lucy is winning! Look!" the pink-haired woman shouted as she pointed to the sky. Ash looked up and saw Luffy and Doflamingo facing off yet again. _Please, Luffy. End this war. End the suffering and torture._ Tears fell down her cheeks. _You need to help us. Everyone is counting on you._ Even as she cried, a smile was showing on her face.

She watched as Doflamingo feel to the ground and through it. Ash closed her eyes as relief ran through her. _He's defeated. We're free. We are free from him._ She leaned over and laid her head on Law's shoulder. Exhaustion was hitting her like waves from the blood loss and the excitement that flowed through her.

"Ash-ya, are you okay?" Law's voice sounded far away even though she knew he was sitting right next to her. "Ash-ya, please, say something."

"I...I'm just tired." Her consciousness was slowly fading. "Don't worry about me. I'm not dead yet."

"Trafalgar, is she going to be okay? We can carry her if we need to." That was Violet. Or, it sounded like her.

"She will be fine. She's just tired." Ash's mind gave out and she was brought into the land of dreams. But, they don't resemble anything she knew.

 **I know it has been a while but here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Please, tell me what you think. Hope you are having great holidays and wish you a great day. I love you all. Tatty-bye!**


	10. Worse

**Worse**

 _ **"Excuse me, young lady. What is your name?" Ash looked up to the man that spoke to her. He had short, white blond hair, pale skin, and green eyes. He wore a dark brown shirt that had a few marks of dirt on it along with a pair of blue jeans that had the same marks and black combat boots. He also had a long, black jacket on him.**_

 _ **"Momma said I shouldn't talk to strangers," Ash replied. She was carrying a bucket of water to the backyard. Her mother was trying to water her flowers.**_

 _ **The man smiled at her. "That's a good thing. My name is Travis." Ash kept staring at him. "Now, we aren't total strangers, right? Can you tell me your name now?"**_

 _ **She knew she shouldn't but she decided that it couldn't hurt to tell him. "My name is Ash." She placed the bucket down. Ash held out her right hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Travis." The man looked down at her hand and kept smiling.  
**_

 _ **He eventually took her hand and shook it. "Such a sweet, little girl. Who taught you to shake hands with others?" They parted hands and she picked up her bucket again.**_

 _ **"My daddy told me that I should do that every time I meet someone new. It's the polite thing to do." The man's smile faltered a little but stayed in place.**_

 _ **"Oh. He has taught you well. Would you like to see a magick trick?" This interested Ash.**_

 _ **"What kind of magick trick?" He stuck his hand in his jacket and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. She liked that trick.**_

 _ **"Here." He placed them in the bucket. "Give these to your mother." Ash nodded. He put up his right hand and pushed his left hand forward into the right. Ash watched him pull back and a charm appeared in his hand. It was a small panda bear. "Here you go. Keep it with you and it should protect you." Ash nodded as she took the charm.**_

 _ **"Ash, honey, I need the water," her mother called.**_

 _ **"I'll see you again sometime, Ash. Have a great day." Travis waved goodbye before walking away. Ash looked toward the backyard before turning back. She was shocked. Travis was gone. It was like he had disappeared.**_

 _ **"Coming, Momma!" Ash rushed to the backyard as fast as she could without spilling the water. Her mother was planting some tulips. She turned to her as she came up to her.**_

 _ **"My, what beautiful flowers. I have never seen any flower like these before." The flowers were in the shape of hearts, were blue in colour, and had a light green stem and leaves. "Where did you get them?"**_

 _ **"A man named Travis gave them to me for you," Ash answered. Her mother smiled. She placed the bucket down. "He also gave me this." She held up the charm. "He was very nice."**_

 _ **"That's good. Is he still here?"**_

 _ **"No, ma'am. He left a minute ago." Her mother nodded and went back to gardening. Ash helped her. She loved gardening with her mother. It was a hobby that they bother loved to do together.**_

...

Voices awoke Ash from her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to the voices. There was a man sitting on the bed. Ash also found Luffy lying next to her on the bed. He was passed out from earlier that day. She smiled. Ash sat up, rubbed her eyes to clear them, and yawned.

"Sorry, Ash. Did we wake you?" Robin asked. Ash shook her head.

"No. I woke up on my own." Her attention fell onto the new person in the room. "Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" The man smiled.

"My name is Sabo. I am Luffy's older brother." She nodded. "I heard a little bit about you from Luffy." He looked curious. "Do you mind if I take a look at your back?" Ash shrugged.

Removing her shirt and the bandages, Ash gave the man her back. "Please, don't touch them. They hurt when people touch them." Sabo agreed not to touch her back.

"This is fascinating. I have never seen marks like this before. What did this to you?" He sounded intrigued.

"A sea king. He didn't mean to do it. It just happened." The whole room fell silent.

"What did you just say?" Zoro asked. "Did you say a sea king, an aggressive, enormous, man-eating monster didn't mean to harm you?"

"Yes. I did because that is what he told me. He was sorry for harming me." Ash didn't understand their shock. "It's not that big a deal."

"Ash, that is not something we hear everyday. Sea kings are aggressive and cause harm to people on a daily basis," Sabo said. "We are sorry if it sounds as if we are skeptical about it."

"That's fine. Nobody believed me at first. They were shocked I even survived an encounter with one." A thought hit her. "I wonder if he is still around here."

"If he is, can you take me to him before I leave?" Ash agreed. It would be nice to see her friend again after a month.

Soon enough, Sabo and Ash left the small cabin with Robin in tow. She also wanted to see the sea king. They walked to the beach and she waded into the water a little under her calves were covered in the water.

Looking down, she saw small fish swimming around her legs. "Is there something you need, Ash?" a small fish asked. She nodded and crouched down.

 _I need to speak to the sea king that I spoke to about a month ago. Is he still around here?_

"Yes. He's still here. We can go get him." The fish swam away and she moved out of the water.

"He'll be here in a moment." The two nodded and she sat on the shore. Her back was sore and she was afraid that it would start to hurt again.

A few minutes later, the sea king rose from the water. She smiled at him as she heard the other two gasped in fear. "Ash, it is good to see you again. I see that you have brought friends."

"Yes. Their names are Sabo and Robin. They wanted to meet you." She kept smiling. "They can't believe that your kind can be friendly. They think you are always aggressive." She turned to see the two staring at her with wide eyes.

"Hm. That is most of the time. I am kind to you because none of us see you as a threat. We also don't attack if you are in the vicinity. We don't want to hurt you." He was quiet for a moment. "How is your back?"

"It still hurts when people touch it or some type of liquid touches it. It seems that the wounds aren't healing like they should."

"I am truly sorry about that. You seem to be different from normal mortals. It should've healed by now." Ash shrugged.

"Ash, what are you two talking about?" Sabo asked. He seemed confused.

"My back. The wounds are not fresh. I have had them for about a month or so. They haven't healed in the slightest." Sabo's eyes widened. "He didn't mean to do it. It just happened when he put me down."

"I never wanted to hurt you." He raised his head to the sky. "I have to go. There will be Marines coming to this island tomorrow. Be prepared and stay safe."

"Will do." With that said, the sea king left. Ash stood up and dusted her clothes off. "He said he is normally aggressive but when it comes to me, he is very king and friendly."

"Amazing. This is very different from what we are used to." Ash understood. She was in the same boat as them.

"There is two other things that I can do other than talk to animals." Ash imagined the room that they had been in. She knew where Zoro had been sitting. Crouching down, Ash put her hand to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Sabo asked.

"Shh. I need to concentrate." She imagined the dark wood floorboards with Bellamy, Law, and the soldier man sleeping on them draped in blankets. Law was laying on his nadochi, the soldier was using a pile of books, Bellamy was on a pillow. Franky, Zoro, Kin'emon, and the other samurai were sitting on the floor. Usopp was face-first on the ground, asleep. Slowly, her hand started to go through the ground. She latched onto something, or someone. Getting a good grip on it, she pulled the object through the ground.

Standing up, she had Zoro in one hand. "What the fuck just happened? How did I get here?" Zoro seemed confused.

"Fascinating. So, you can pull people from places?" Sabo asked. Ash shook her head as she let Zoro go.

"No. Not exactly. It's more like I can create invisible portals and either bring things out of them or go through them to different places." She smiled and shrugged. "But it only works if I can visualize the area."

"You mean like having specific details of that area?"

"Precisely." She stepped away from Zoro. "Law has also told me that devil fruit powers have no effect on me." Sabo grinned. "You can try if you want."

Bringing up his hand, Sabo turned it to fire. He ran at her and punched at her while using his fire. Reflexively, Ash held up her arm and blocked the attack. His fist connected with her arms. He continued to grin as his whole body turned to fire. It was Ash's turn to grin. Grabbing at the flames, she grabbed a holt of them and yanked down.

Sabo materialized and fell to the ground. "Interesting. You can grab me as if I am a physical form." Ash let him go and he stood up. "It is like you can see a perso that changed into a non-physical object."

"Well, fire is part of a chemical process. So is smoke. They are made from chemicals or natural ways." She shrugged. "To be honest, when I grabbed the fire, it was as if you were still in front of me. Visually, you were fire. Physically, you were still the same thing. A person. A solid object."

"That is a good power. People with devil fruits won't be able to harm you," Sabo said as he smiled.

"Not to mention that she has super strength," Zoro commented. Everyone turned to him. "What are you looking at me like that fore?"

"Zoro-kun, could you explain what you mean?" Zoro scratched his head.

"Did you ever see the shower room after Law was finished washing her?" Robin shook her head. "She almost put a few holes in the walls and floor. Not to mention, she was able to match Luffy in strength when he tried to attack her."

"I wouldn't actually say 'match'. It was more like she was stronger than him," Robin pointed out. "He was flung at least once since she has been on the ship and that led to him being on the other side of the ship."

"See? She is stronger. It isn't normal." Ash just scratched her head as she yawned.

"You two can keep talking. I'm going back to bed." She turned to Sabo. "It was nice meeting you," Ash said as she bowed. Sabo said his goodbyes before she walked back to the cabin. She was tired and worried about her back. It was staring to sting and it worried her even more.

Back at the cabin, Ash found that Franky had fallen asleep as was everyone else. She stepped around each person on the floor and got to the bed. Looking down, she decided to move Usopp so that he wasn't face-planted into the floor. He was now fully on the floor and not hurting his neck.

Ash stood next to Law for a minute. Crouching down, she thought that he looked more peaceful when he slept. Leaning down, she placed a kiss on his head before getting back up. She crawled back into the bed next to Luffy and fell asleep. She was happy about where she was.

...

"AHHHHHH!" Ash screamed as she woke up. Her back was on fire and all she felt was immense pain. She grabbed the blanket on her and ripped it in her hands by accident. "FUCK! IT FUCKING HURTS!"

"Ash, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Robin sounded extremely concerned.

Ash tried to stand but couldn't. She fell over, face-first into the bed. "Shit!" she screamed into the bed.

"Robinland, what is wrong with Ashland?" the soldier asked.

Ash raised her head and groaned in pain. Luffy was looking at her as he ate. "Ash, do I need to get Torao?"

"Y-Yes. That...would help me...greatly." Luffy stood up and walked outside. Ash punched the wall and put a hole in it. She removed her hand and looked at the hole. "Sorry...about that."

"No worries. I can fix it." The soldier went to touch her.

"Don't...Don't touch me." She didn't mean to sound angry or rude. "Sorry."

"Her back is the problem. Just don't touch her back." Kryos nodded before touching her shoulder.

Law came in with Luffy in tow. "Before we leave, I need to see your back." Ash nodded before removing her shirt.

"Do...Do we need to leave the room?" Kryos asked. To Ash, he sounded embarrassed.

"No. You're fine. I'm just taking a look at her back." Ash turned around and gave Law her back. He removed the bandages and gasped. Everyone gasped.

"What's wrong?" Panic set in. "What the hell is wrong with my back, Law?! Is something wrong?!" It was to the point that she rose from the bed. "Give me a mirror! I want to see it for myself!" Kryos pointed to a mirror on the wall.

Ash covered her breasts with one arm and turned her back to the mirror. She craned her head to look at her back. She gasped and almost screamed at what she saw. Reaching around, she prodded the skin around her wounds. It hurt like it was ripping off but it wasn't, right now at least. The skin around the wounds had turned a blackish-purple and didn't look good at all. It was like spider webs of veins had turned that colour and spread from the entrance of the wounds to all over her back.

"What happened for it to look like that?" Robin asked. She got up and came over to her. "Torao-kun, do you know what is wrong with them?"

Ash looked to Law. He looked like he was at a loss for words. "I-I don't know. This...This is new to me. I don't know what is happening to her." He rubbed his chin. "We need to hurry and get back to the others. I need to run tests on her back." He walked up to her. "How does it feel? Other than the initial pain?"

Bellamy even looked shocked about what was happening. "It feels like my skin is peeling and falling off. Like when you get a sunburn but instead of one layer of skin peeling off like it should, it is like every layer of your skin is peeling off at the same time because the burnt layer of skin is attacked too good and won't come off like it should. Add to the fact that it also feels as if someone has poured boiling oil on my back and decided to scrape the burnt skin away with a pocket knife." Usopp looked ready to puke. Everyone else had wide eyes and looked shocked. "Hm. Too much detail?"

"Ash, you are almost as bad as Robin! Please, that was horrible!" Usopp dry heaved like he wanted to throw up.

"Hey, I was asked how I feel right now. For anyone to know how much pain I am in, I have to give specific details. I also have to let my doctor know how I really feel at this moment!" She screamed again. "Fuck!" Ash dropped to her knees. She punched the floor. "I'm getting tired of this shit!" Ash stood up and slammed her back onto a wall. She bit her lip to keep in a scream. She started to rub her back on the rough wood.

"Ash-ya, what are you trying to do?! You need to stop before you hurt yourself!" Everyone gathered round her. She glared at them all.

"It fucking hurts! What else do you want me to do?! Not only does it hurt, it itches like when you get a rash that itches to the point that you rip your skin open and blood spills down just to get it to stop itching!" Usopp looked ready to throw up again. "So, what am I supposed to do?!"

Kryos went to a cabinet and grabbed a jar. "Lawland, rub this on her back. It might help with the pain and itching." She continued to scratch her back on the wood.

"You better hurry. Some of her skin is flaking off," Franky said. Usopp dashed out of the house.

"I need someone to volunteer to hold her down." She glared at them all. Luffy walked up and grabbed her. She went to fight him before she was wrapped in his arms. She struggled against him as he held her.

"Do it now! I don't think I can hold her for long!" She growled, hissed, and screamed to get away. Anger hit her. She didn't want to be held down.

"Let me go! I won't go anywhere!" Her thoughts went back to when she was fifteen. The pain, itching, and desperate struggle to get away made her thoughts cloud. "No! I don't want the needle again!" Everyone stopped moving. She still struggled. "I don't want it again! It messes with my head! I hate it! I hate it! Don't do it again!"

"Luffy, let her go!" She heard Zoro shout. Suddenly, she was let go and fell to the ground. She gasped for breath.

Ash curled into a ball with her back exposed. She held her arms to her chest. "I don't want to go on the trip again. It was horrible. It made me sick. I don't want the needle again."

"Ash-ya, are you okay? I'm going to put it on your back now." She nodded and flinched he moved closer to her.

"Just...don't inject anything into me."

"I won't. It's just something to put on your back." She felt him touch her. She screamed and scraped her fingers down her arms.

"Lawland, she is bleeding on her arms."

"I know. I will fix that in a moment." When he stopped touching her back, Ash let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Law lifted her up and asked for bandages. He helped her get fixed up and her shirt back on.

Franky looked out the window. "We need to go. The Marines are on the way." Everyone agreed and got ready. Franky told Ash that he would carry her. She accepted his help and rode on his back. Law said that he had something to do and left the group. Luffy, also, had something to do and ran off.

Burying her face into Franky's back, Ash didn't see what was going on. She heard fighting but never saw it. Franky kept running as she pushed her face further into his back. Her back was still hurting but is was a dull ache now.

When everything was said and done, they started to have a feast on the ship as they left Dressrosa. She drank with them and ate. She saw a lot of people that she had never met on the island and they were all having a great time.

Ash giggled when she saw Zoro grab Law and drag him over to sit with him. Just seeing everyone so happy and jolly made her smile. She finished her cup just as Luffy came up to her. "Wanna dance?" He looked like he was having fun.

Ash smiled and stood. "Sure." Luffy took her hands and began to do a jig with her. She laughed and smiled as they danced. Luffy wasn't all that great at it but it was more than nothing. He was at least having a good time.

After Luffy let her go, Cabbage asked for a dance. She accepted and he drunkenly spun around with her. This was the most she had smiled and laughed since her family's death. It was the most fun she had had in a long time.

When most of the people were asleep and other were trying to stay awake for a bit longer, Ash found herself on the top deck of the ship. She was drinking her fifth up while staring out at the ocean. A smile graced her lips as she thought about everything that happened that day.

Ash had danced with almost everyone on the ship. Zoro was extremely drunk when she danced with him to the point he was laughing about everything that happened and had to hold onto her to stay standing. She danced with Luffy about three times. Robin even dances with her. Luffy's fan, Bartolomeo, was even excited to dance with her. He had wrapped his arms around her neck and twirled around with her while tears flowed down his cheeks. It was just a great day.

Footsteps made their way to her. She kept her eyes on the ocean. The person sat down next to her. "Has everyone fallen asleep by now?" Ash asked the person.

"Just about. I didn't see anyone awake when I left the deck." Her smile widened at the voice. She took another drink from her cup. She looked over to Law. "How were you able to handle all of them?"

Ash laughed. "I have danced with strangers before." She took another drink. "Where I come from, we had parades, carnivals, and other occasions that got people to dance with each other. I learned to dance with strangers because it was fun and exciting."

"Hm. I can't really handle most of the people on this ship."

"Like Luffy?"

"Yeah. Like him." An idea popped into her head. Ash set her cup down and stood up. She put her hands out for Law to grab. He looked at her with a confused expression. "What?"

"Give me your hands." Hesitantly, Law reached up and Ash grabbed his hands before pulling him up to stand. "There was only one person I didn't dance with today." Law's face turned a light shade of red. It made her happy. "Would you like to dance with me, Law?"

Noticing that he was shy, Ash smiled at him. He slowly nodded and allowed her to take him to another location. It was not a big space like the lower deck but it was the back of the top deck.

"Now. What kind of dances do you know?" Law raised an eyebrow. Ash sighed. "Like ballroom, polka, etc. Those dances."

"I was taught ballroom dancing when I was young," Law answered. Ash took one of his hands in hers and placed his other hand on her hip. She placed her free hand on his shoulder. Law's face turned a darker shade of red.

"Do you want to lead or should I?" It wasn't normal for the female to lead but if he wanted to, she would. Law agreed to lead. And thus started their dance

It was a lot calmer than the dances she did with the others. She remembered dancing with her father like this when she was small. She never touched the floor back then because he was a lot taller and he just held her the entire time. It made her happy.

"Ash-ya, you are crying. Are you okay? Should we stop?" Law's comment brought her back to the present. She shook her head.

"No. I'm okay." He nodded. "I was just thinking about the last time I danced like this."

"When was the last time?" He twirled them as they went.

"I was around eight or nine. My father started to dance with me." Law smiled. "I was too short and he had to hold me as we danced but it still made me happy." She laughed. "He was a good man. You would've like him." Her smile faded. "He's dead, though."

"Sorry to hear that." They passed the railing a few more times. She band to study Law. He was taller than her by a considerable amount but she could still look him in the eyes as he equal. He was a handsome man and worried abut her constantly even if he didn't wan to show it. She laughed again. "Why are you laughing?"

"I was just thinking." She didn't elaborate and Law never asked her to. She laid her head on his chest as they danced. He tensed before relaxing. He let her hand go and wrapped it around her with the other. She put both of her hands on his chest. Law placed his chin on her head. He then placed a kiss on her head and she smiled. _I know a new reason to stay here. Maybe I will be happier staying here than in my world. I like it here. I'm sorry, Fox, but I want to stay here. I hope you have a good life without me._

 **Hah, hah, hah, hah. Finally. It is done. I hurt my head writing this. Meaning, I got a headache. Not that it happens a lot. I was just stressed writing this. Hope you like it. Please, tell me what you think. Have a fantastic day and Happy New Year! Love you all. Tatty-bye!**


	11. Zou

**Zou**

 **...**

 **To be honest, I know that I changed what had happened in the actual manga and anime but it works here. Please don't get upset that it is different. I know how it goes but it works. Please, continue if you are okay with that.**

 **...**

Voices awoke Ash from her slumber. She was pressed against something warm and just snuggled closer. "Do you think they realized what they are doing?" She recognized that voice as Robin. Ash was too warm to care about what they were talking about.

"I don't think so. I' surprised that they haven't woken up yet," Usopp said. Ash was getting aggravated with them talking. They might be whispering but they were bothering her.

"Robin. Usopp. If you want to talk," she sat up and forced her eyes open to glare at them, "please, do it somewhere else." She stretched before closing her eyes and laying back down. She wrapped her arms around the warm object beside her. "I'm trying to sleep and would appreciate it if you left me alone."

She didn't understand what they were talking about but she also didn't care at the time. It was quiet and she smiled. Ash pushed her face into the thing beside her. It was solid yet soft at the same time. She felt it move but thought it was her imagination. Slowly, she fell back to sleep.

A little while later, Ash woke up and noticed something. She was laying next to someone and had her arms around them. She couldn't tell if the person was awake or not, though. Slowly, she sat up and rubbed her eyes before opening them.

"Did you sleep well, Ash-ya?" Her attention snapped to Law who had been the one she had her arms around. Her face heated up at the thought of her cuddling up to him like she had earlier that morning.

"Y-Yes. Did you?" Law sat up and nodded.

"I did." Ash looked away from him as her face continued to burn. She hadn't expected to wake up next to Law. To make matters worse on her, they were in a room together and in the same bed. It felt different and it embarrassed her.

Getting off the bed, Ash stretched before walking to the door. "I'm going to the kitchen to get something to eat. Do you want anything while I'm there?" She turned to him and waited for his response.

"A cup of coffee would be nice." She rolled her eyes.

"Any food?" Ash narrowed her eyes at him. "You need to eat more." She worried about his health. "It restores your strength and helps you heal. What do you want to eat?"

Law sighed. "Anything without bread is fine. Also," he took out his vivre card, "we are getting close." Ash nodded. She left him to go find the kitchen.

On her way there, she saw Zoro passed out in the hallway. She thought to wake him up but decided not to. Ash entered the kitchen and started to rummage through the cabinets and fridge to find something to eat.

Pulling out some ingredients, she started to cook pancakes. It was simple and quick for her. She made pancakes almost every morning when she didn't have to go to work. She also made coffee for her and Law. It was soothing to be able to cook again and it made her smile.

A bit after starting to cook, Bartolemo entered the kitchen. She didn't pay attention to him as she continued. "Ash-senpai, what are you doing?" She had been called that by the man when he found out that she was Luffy's friend. He would glare at Law sometimes when he was around her.

"I'm cooking. I was hungry and wanted to eat pancakes." Bartolemo was smiling as she flipped the pancake in the pan. "I made enough batter to feed everyone. Could you finish cooking them for me?"

"Y-Yes! I can finish for you!" Ash thanked him as she grabbed the two plates she made with the two cups of coffee. She was almost run-down as she walked back to the room Law was in. It was Luffy rushing past her. She was able to keep the plates and cups from falling from her hands.

Back in the room, Ash found Law sitting on the bed with the card in his hand. She tapped the door to get his attention. He looked up at her. "Room service. I was asked to bring food and coffee to this room." Law smiled. "Do I have the wrong room or is this the right one?"

Law chuckled. "And what might be for breakfast, Miss Ash?" She walked in and set one plate and cup down beside him while she kept the other plate and cup.

"Pancakes topped with chopped strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. To drink is a cup of straight, black coffee." She sat with the plate on her lap and the cup on the nightstand beside her. "Complements of the chef." Law continued to smile as they ate.

"Are you sure you have enough on your plate?" Ash gave him a halfhearted glare. Law knew how much she ate when she was hurt and just normally. It was just as much as Luffy but maybe more.

"For now, yes." They continued to eat until the door was flung open. Zoro stood in the doorway. Ash swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking to him. "Is there something you need, Zoro?"

"Robin said that there's a large thing in the water." Law quickly finished his food before getting up to leave. Ash followed suit and walked out the door with him.

Getting to the deck, she was surprised to see a large object in their path. "That's the island," Law said. Ash looked up to see that it stretched on for miles. She then noticed that it was slowly but surely moving.

The others started talking but she ignored them. Her thoughts were on the island. _An elephant. The island is on the back of an elephant. Good idea. Staying in one place might not be a good idea in this world._

Law tapped her shoulder and pointed to the others. She nodded and followed them to the Sunny. It was attached to the leg of the creature. They got on it and said goodbye to Bartolemo and his crew. The other man, Kanjuro, made a dragon to carry them up the side of the elephant's leg. It was cute and big enough for them all to ride.

"Do you think it is strong enough to carry all of us?" she asked the samurai. She worried for its safety and capability along with everyone else.

"Yes. He is safe to ride up the side of the island," he assured her. She still worried for it. The creature was so strange and she tapped its head. The creature looked up to her.

 _Can you hear me?_

"Y-Yes. Can you tell my why I was created?" Ash nodded.

 _You were created to carry all of us the side of this island. Do you think you can handle it or no?_

"I...I think I can. We'll...We'll just have to see." Ash nodded. She patted his head. Luffy came over to them.

"This looks amazing! And we're gonna ride it up to the island?!" Luffy was excited to be able to ride the dragon.

"Yes. He's helping us up the side of the island." Luffy grinned as he stared at the dragon. Soon enough, they were all piled onto the dragon. She felt bad for him and knew that the weight of everyone was going to be a little much on the dragon. She sat in front of Law with Robin in front of her.

Slowly but surely, the started the trek up the island. She felt horrible for doing this to the dragon. At some point, Luffy fell off and almost brought the dragon with him. She held onto him as he struggled to get back on.

Ash rubbed the side of him. Everyone was encouraging him. _Please. Just a little bit more and we're there. I know you can do it._ She kept rubbing him. _Come on. You can rest when we get there._ He didn't answer her but just tried harder.

Again, they were on their way. As they got to the top, there was lava and they had to jump off of him. He fell into it and died. She felt bad for him but didn't wan he others to know what he had said. _That poor creature. I'm glad he was happy when he died._

Law and Zoro weren't moved by it and just dissed his death. Ash rolled her eyes. She didn't expect anything more or less from the two. They walked into the forest. It was quiet. Too quiet. Ash didn't like it. Luffy ran head of them and disappeared.

Ash walked around the town that they had come across. She knew just by looking at the area that something horrible happened to the people there. She was curious as to why the buildings were off the ground. "Fascinating," she whispered as she leaned down to look at the ground below her. It was about a couple of feet down from where she was.

Suddenly, water flowed down the area like a lake or river. She was surprised to see that the others had gotten to the place she found. "Strange. It's like they built the buildings like they are because of this," Robin said.

"Precisely." Everyone looked to her. "If you know anything about elephants, that is a natural thing." Robin raised an eyebrow while everyone waited for her to explain. "To clean themselves or just to cool themselves off, elephants will use their trunks to suck up water and spray it across their back. Since this elephant is so large and that there is an island on its back, it probably floods the land and they had to build up to keep safe."

"Are you an animal expert or something?" Usopp asked.

"No. I used to like to watch animals in my spare time. They are fascinating creatures and I like them." Law smiled. As the water flowed, two females came floating down the river on a creature. They had Luffy with them.

"Hey! I'm okay!" Ash walked up to look at the new people. The women were not the same creature. One was a dog and the other was a bunny-rabbit. She looked at how the dog woman was dressed.

 _That was Nami's outfit that she left us in. Why is she wearing it?_ The dog woman looked to her along with the bunny.

"They are not hurt, if that is what you were thinking," the dog woman said as she walked up to her.

"Nobody said anything about anyone being hurt," Robin said.

"No. I thought it," Ash answered. The dog and bunny seemed surprised. "May I ask you your names?"

"Wanda and Carrot," Wanda answered. She circled her before sniffing her. "Interesting."

"Torao! Your crew wants to see you! They're on the other side of the island!" Ash turned to Law and he nodded to her. Wanda grabbed her arm before she could follow him.

"Please, wait a moment."

 _Why? I need to go with him. Is there something you want to say or ask?_ Wanda nodded.

"When you come back, can you explain how you can do that? I have never met someone like you." Ash agreed before walking with Law. He held up the card in his hand as they walked.

She didn't say anything as they walked. Ash knew that he was worried and excited to see his crew again. Suddenly, he came to a stop. Ash looked up and saw his crew popped out of the shrubbery. Bepo started to cry before they all ran out to greet them.

"Captain!" They chanted it a few times as Bepo jumped onto Law and started to rub against him. Ash smiled at the sight.

"I was so worried about you!" Bepo cried.

"Bepo, get off of him before you crush him," Shachi said. They didn't seem to notice Ash as of right now.

"Congratulations on taking down Doflamingo. We knew you could do it!"

"No. That was Straw Hat-ya that did-" They cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"Come. See where we have been staying." Law agreed. Ash kept smiling.

"Ash! You're here as well!" Bepo came running up to her. He wrapped her in a hug and was careful of her back.

When they all said hello, she followed the crew to where they had been staying. It was nice and there were more animal people. She heard Chopper shouting at someone.

"Chopper-ya, are you busy right now?" The reindeer came out of a house.

"I'm free for the moment. Is there something you need?" Law started to whisper in hushed voices to the other. Ash knew what they were talking about. It was her back. They hadn't looked at it since the incident in the hut.

"Ash-ya, can you come with us?" Ash nodded as she followed Law and Chopper into the house. They got her to sit on a bed. There was a large cat-man in one of the beds.

She knew what they wanted her to do and she removed her shirt. Chopper undid the bandages. He gasped when he saw her back. "Law! What is this?! What the hell happened to her while she was there?!"

"That was why I wanted to know if you could take a sample and check it." Chopper came to stand in front of her.

"Are you okay with that? I will have to scrape or cut a piece of your skin off to get a sample." Ash gave him permission to take a sample of what the fuck was on her back.

Grabbing the sides of the bed, she prepared for the pain that was inevitable. When the metal object touched her, she shook at know what was about to happen. Slowly, the scalpel cut into her skin. She gave off an agonizing scream that sounded horrible even to her. She ripped the sheets on the bed as he cut away the piece of flesh from her body.

After he got it off, Chopper quickly backed away from her and Law fixed her back up. "I'm glad that I was able to bring my tools with me." She watched as Chopper walked over to a desk. "I will immediately look into it."

"Chopper." Said man looked over to her. "Luffy is here with everyone else." She smiled a tired but happy smile. Chopper smiled before thanking her. She knew he was about to cry if the tears in his eyes were anything to go by.

With her shirt back on, Ash walked over to the giant can-man. He was sleeping and seemed to be beat up really bad. He was covered in bandages and slept soundly on the bed. She stared at him. "Ash-ya, is there something on your mind?" Law asked as he came to stand beside her.

"Chopper, who is this man and why is he covered in bandages." She placed a hand on the fur on his arm and ran it along his arm. There was something off about it.

"His name is Cat Viper. A small...war started on the island and he took a lot of the damage." Ash knew Chopper wasn't telling her everything. _He's holding back something._ "Let him tell you. It didn't concern us at the time."

While Chopper examined the piece of flesh, Ash staring at Cat Viper. Law stayed next to her. Slowly, the man started to wake up. He blinked a few times before staring at her. "Hello. You are a new face."

"Hello. You are Cat Viper, right?" He nodded. "I was told that you were watching Law's crew. Thank you for that." She bowed to him.

"Strange. You cat different than most of your kind." He sniffed her. "Interesting."

"What is it?" Chopper asked from his spot at a desk with a microscope.

"Can you feel it Chopper-kun?" All eyes turned to him. He was staring at Ash.

"What do you mean? Explain."

"I feel a friendship towards this girl. I can't and will never raise a hand to her or try to harm her. It is almost like a bond has been made just by meeting her." Law and Chopper looked to her. "You can feel it, right, Chopper-kun?"

"Yes. Since I met her it has been there." He turned back to his work. "I have noticed that the more I stay around her. Do you know why it is there?"

"No. It is something I have never felt toward a human. There is something about her that is different." Ash nodded. She had been told that before.

"A sea king has told me the same thing. Animals don't wish to harm me or the others in the vicinity of me if I see them as friends." Cat Viper's eyes widened.

"You talked to a sea king?" She nodded. "My. That is a tremendous gift you have." He took her hand in his. "You need to keep that in tact. If this power allows you to gain friends among animals or us, then you are a truly gifted woman."

"Thank you." He let her go. After a bit, Chopper told him that Luffy was there. He immediately wanted to go meet him. Chopper had to hurriedly gather his things and follow after him. Law went with them to meet up with Luffy again. Ash followed.

Worry filled her at the sting in her back. _No. Not now. Please. Don't start right now. I don't want to worry anyone._ She watched Cat Viper run and crash into the building that Luffy had been sitting at. Law looked up and shook his head. Luffy was jumping up and down on him when they got there.

"Straw Hat-ya," Law called to Luffy. His eyes lit up.

"Wow! Is that your crew?!"

"Yes. There are twenty of them." They all posed and Ash just giggled. She watched Law walk over to Luffy and start talking about the plan. His crew dissed him of making them feel slighted. Ash rolled her eyes. "We don't have to get friendly with them. We're just allies."

"Oh. Sanji went to Big Mom."

"What? He went to Big Mom?" Luffy nodded.

"Yeah. I'm going to go get him back."

Ash walked away to see what Chopper was doing. He was still examining her skin. "Chopper, have you found anything yet?" She came to stand next to him.

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean by that?"

"At first, I thought your skin was decaying because of the black and purple look of it." Ash nodded. "It turns out that it is not decaying. But when I cut a piece off, it seems that whatever is happening has stopped. I can't figure out what was happening because I need it to be attached to you."

"Can you try to look at it while it's still on me?" Chopper removed his hat to scratch his head.

"I...I can try. There is on way of saying it will work but I can always try." Ash agreed and removed her shirt. He removed the bandages and took a magnifying glass to her back. She stayed as still as she could to help him out.

After about ten minutes, she saw everyone outside getting ready for a party. Law came up to them. "Chopper-ya, have you found out what is happening?"

"Not yet. I couldn't figure it out when I cut a piece off of her. It told her that I needed it still attached to her." Law nodded and sat in front of her as they waited for Chopper to say something.

"Ash-ya?"

"Hmm?" She looked up to him.

"Would you like to join my crew?" He sounded nervous to ask the question. He had never asked her it before.

"If I join, won't I be under you?" She liked him a lot but didn't want to be ordered around. Law knew that from being with her for so long.

"You can do whatever you want. That's what most of my crew does anyway." Ash smiled.

"Sure." He smiled. Taking the offer made her giddy and at the same time, calm. She knew it was the right choice to make.

"I found out why her skin is like this!" Chopper exclaimed. He backed up from her.

"What is happening?" Ash asked.

"Your body is trying to heal itself." Law gave him a confused look. "She is trying to heal the wounds but at the same time, her body is losing the battle. Her skin looks like this because it is fighting off infection amongst other things."

"So, it's a matter of waiting to see what will happen?" Law asked.

"Yes. All you have to do is wait to see how it will turn out. That's all we can do now." They both agreed. Chopper and Law helped her get the bandages and her shirt back on.

A commotion made them all look outside. "What's going on?" They walked to the door.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Wanda held up a weapon to someone.

"I'm sorry to intrude but I must speak with Ash. She is here, right?" Ash knew that voice but couldn't place where she had heard it or who it was.

"Why do you want to talk to her?" Carrot asked. She took a fighting stance. All of the Minks took fighting stances toward the person.

"Wanda. Carrot. Who is that?" Both looked at her. The women moved back and Ash immediately knew who he was. He hadn't changed at all in the past ten years. She only saw him once but that was enough to remember him.

"Good to se you again, Ash. I told you I would see you again. Though, it's a little later than I thought," he said.

"T-Travis?"

 **Hope you like the chapter. I'm glad to see that you all are liking it so far. Please, tell me what you think. Remember, I love you all and please try to have a good day. Tatty-bye!**

 **P.S. - pinklemonberry27 - I hope you are happy with the answers I gave you. If you want to ask anymore questions, I am free to answer them when I have the time. Mostly during the day or at night.**


	12. Dying

**Dying**

 **To be honest, there might be some triggers in this chapter. If any of you suffer from depression or any other mental issue/disorder, you are not alone. I suffer from depression and bipolar disorder. Ash is sort of a depiction of how I feel most of the time. She is sort of like another me, in a sense. Sorry to waist your time. Please, keep reading if you are able to get past the triggers in this chapter.**

 **...**

"Hello, Ash. It's been quite a while," Travis said with a smile. The others still showed signs of hostility toward him. Ash walked up to him. Wanda stood to her right while Carrot took the side to her left. He seemed to understand the situation he was in and stayed put.

"About ten years or so, right?" Ash was smiling as well as she talked. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "How have you been? How did you get here?" She distinctly remembered that she had seen him where she came from.

"The say way you got here," he answered. That confused her. _What is he talking about?_ He eyes widened. _Can...Can he make the portals too?_

"You...You mean...the portals?"

"Yes." He suddenly disappeared through the ground. But for Ash, she saw the portal that he had left through. Everyone looked for him. "I should explain it more to you." Everyone looked into a tree. He stood on a branch as he spoke.

"Are you related to Ash-ya?" Law came to stand next to her. She glanced between the two of them.

"Hm. That's a tricky question to answer, sir." Travis walked into the side of the tree and disappeared again. They went searching for him like before. Ash saw him walk out the side of another tree. "Yes. I am related to her in a way."

"So, are you a close family member or distant?" Robin asked. She seemed intrigued with him.

"Depends on how you define the two." Ash was confused. "If you call a great uncle close, then yes. But, if you consider that distant, then yes." That shocked her. She couldn't believe it.

"You're my great uncle?" Her brain was trying to wrap her head around it. "Why did Momma and Dad not tell me about you?"

"I am your mother's uncle." Travis sat down against the tree he was in front of. "They never told you about me because my sister never knew about me."

"Are you saying that your parents kept you secret?" Luffy asked. He seemed interested in the conversation.

"Yes and no." He looked to be in thought. "I disappeared for a while before she was born, and our parents thought that I was dead. They acted as if I never existed after that."

"That sounds horrible," Chopper said.

"It really wasn't. I was glad that they chose that route. It was better than to let my sister and niece think that I might come home one day." He smiled as he stood back up. "I can't stay long because of reasons. But I mostly came to see you."

"You came to see me? What for?" Ash wanted to know his reason for showing up suddenly.

"In our family, there are certain ones of us that are chosen to have the powers we have. For example, the both of us have the ability to create portals anywhere we choose to. But there is one thing that differs in each of us." He walked up to Ash. She watched and felt him place his hand over her heart. "You can communicate with animals and befriend them. That is your second power." Travis stepped back from her. Ash's eyes followed him as he went to stand in front of Law. "May I see your injured arm, sir?"

"Why?" Ash saw Law's body tense up.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm actually going to help you." Law slowly and cautiously held out his arm to Travis. He grabbed it before placing his right hand over the bandage. A yellow, glowing light shone from his hand before quickly disappearing. He let go of Law's arm and back up from him.

Ash looked between the two men. "Travis, what did you do to him?"

"Undo the bandage. You will be surprised with what you find." Law wasted no time in ripping the bandages off. He gasped. Ash was in shock by what she saw. The wound from his arm being cut off was gone. There was no trace of it having ever existed. Not even a scar from it being sewn back one was left.

"You...You have healing abilities?" Ash asked. She was beyond shock. Law seemed to be in the same state as her.

"You can call it that." He pulled up the sleeves of his shirt and jacket that were on the same arm that Law had had the bandage on. Ash looked over and saw a scar there. "I can take away wounds and afflictions, but I will be scarred by them. I have many of them from my lifetime." He rolled his sleeves back down.

"Can you do that for Ash?" Chopper asked. Most of the others had been quiet since he had showed up. They seemed to still be wary of him.

"Depends. What's wrong with her?" He looked worried about her. He turned to look at her.

Taking a deep breath, Ash turned around and lifted her shirt to show her back. She heard him gasp at what he saw. "This is what he was talking about. Can you fix it?" Ash hoped that he could. It would help her out a lot.

"I can try. There is no guarantee that I can get rid of any if all of it."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked. She seemed as anxious as Ash was.

"I will explain after I try." Ash bit her lip as he placed a hand on her back. She wanted to scream so bad because of the pain. She felt warmth spread across her back, and she could sort of see the light from earlier.

As soon as it had started, the moment was gone. Ash turned to look at the others behind her. "Well? Did anything happen? Is it better or still the same."

Travis looked at her. "It sort of worked."

"What does that mean? What does my back look like?" Ash was getting worried.

"Ash-ya, the problem that was happening to your skin is gone. But, the holes are still there," Law answered. She looked back to Travis.

"I thought something like this would happen. There was only going to be one of four outcomes if I tried, anyways." He stepped back from her.

"Can you explain now?" Wanda asked. She looked astonished.

"Well, there was one of four ways it could've gone. I could have healed her completely, it could've healed and did heal her somewhat, it could've done nothing, or it could've gotten worse. I am glad that it was a good outcome." He shrugged. "Better than the last two options." Everyone watched him look to the forest then to the sky.

"Is there something wrong, Travis-kun?" Robin asked. He laughed at what she said.

"Young lady, I may look young but I am older than you by at least a century or so. If anything, you are a child to me." Ash stared at him with wide eyes. "But, yes. I have to leave now." He turned back to Ash. "I may see you again. Not soon but some time in the future." Ash was brought in for a hug. "Take care and stay safe."

"I can't make any promises about that. But I will try," she answered. Travis pulled back with a smile.

"Oh." He turned to Law. "You may have some unexpected visitors sometime soon."

"What do you mean?" Ash saw him tighten his grip on his nodachi.

"The Marines are searching for you all." He stopped smiling. "Keep Ash safe. I do believe that they are searching for her, in particular." Ash watched him look between her and Law. "Also, you might want to catch them before they hit the ground."

"What are you..." Before Law could finish his question, Ash watched him pass out before them. Bepo quickly caught him before he could collide with the ground.

"What just happened to him?" Ash asked.

"There is a small side-effect of my power on others. It takes all of their energy away. After a few minutes or so, the body and mind catch on and it makes you pass out to regain it." He smiled down at her. "I won't be here when you get up. Farewell, Ash." Before she could say anything to him, her world turned to black. The last thing she felt was someone catching her before she could connect with the cold, hard ground.

...

 _ **Ash sat in a completely white space. There was nothing around her but white that seemed to stretch on for miles. The sound of a small bell made her look to the right of her. She saw nothing but decided to stand and find out.**_

 _ **Taking a few steps toward the way the noise came from, Ash heard it ring again. She kept walking. After what felt like ages, she stopped in front of a mirror. It showed her full body, even her feet. The sight that greeted her made her hate herself even more.**_

 _ **Staring back at her was her own reflection. The only difference between her and it was that her reflection was completely naked. Scar riddled her body from her neck to her wrists and ankles. The sight disgusted her to the point that she wanted to throw up.**_

 _ **"What a disgusting sight," she said. Her reflection moved with her. "How could anyone like this? One look and they will run from me."**_

 _ **Placing her hand on the mirror, she tried to rip it off the wall. When it wouldn't come off the wall, she started to beat her fists on it with all of her strength. It wasn't doing anything at first. Anger and frustration entered her body as she kept banging on it.**_

 _ **"Take it away! Make it go away!" Tears started to stream down her cheeks. She kept banging and banging, hoping that the mirror would shatter with the force that she was using. It wasn't even cracking the glass and that upset her even more. Fury coursed through her veins. "Why won't you just fucking break?!"**_

 _ **The more she pounded on the mirror, the more her anger and frustration grew. She didn't want to see the shame that she had done to herself. Ash didn't want to be reminded why she hated herself. All she wanted was for people to judge her for what she had done in her life. The scars showed on her body like they were medals on display.**_

 _ **"I don't want to be rewarded for my mistakes and hatred," she whispered. Her movements slowed down to just small punched to the glass of the mirror. Her reflection was crying along with her. She then took a closer look at her face. There were deep indentions on her face from her tears. They were scars from how many times she had cried.**_

 _ **Looking at herself again, Ash started to study what she had done to her own body. There were scars of cuts of different sizes and depths in her skin all over. She had been smart not to do anything past her wrists and ankles. She kept the cuts on her neck low enough that a shirt would hide them. Her face was untouched expect for the scars left behind by her tears.**_

 _ **The scars across her body went in all different directions. Some were sideways while some were up and down. Even some went diagonal and crossed into others. It was almost like you could tell her past just by looking at her body. Her body was a road map about her life.**_

 _ **You could see the pain behind every cut. The deeper ones were on the worst days. There weren't any good days. Just some days were better than others in her opinion. Even though her skin was a tan-ish colour, it didn't hide the scars. They shone like the sun on medals.**_

 _ **Suddenly, she was running through the forest. Swiftly. Ash didn't know where she was headed. There was a feeling that she needed to go forward. Ducking to avoid branches that were reaching like claws toward her and jumping over roots to keep up her momentum and not trip.**_

 _ **Then, she heard voices ahead of her. She couldn't make out what they were saying at first. It was like hearing something with things in you ears. The further she got, the more she could understand until they were clear as day. "Torao, what is wrong with her?!" She knew that voice. It was so kind and worried.**_

 _ **"I...I don't know." She knew that voice all too well. But Ash couldn't put a name to it at the moment. "Her pulse is dropping." The sounds of machines let her know that something was wrong.**_

 _ **"What does that mean?!"**_

 _ **"Straw hat-ya...It...It means that she's dying." Her heart almost stopped at that. His voice sounded so broken and sorrowful. She kept running. Her determination kept her going.**_

 _ **"Y-You can save her, right?" It was a young, sweet, high-pitched voice. He sounded on the verge of tears when he asked.**_

 _ **"I'm...I'm trying. I'm doing the best I can. I don't know what's happening to her." Tears streamed down her face as she kept her head up. She saw nothing at this point, but something kept her going.**_

 _ **"I'm still alive! Wait for me!" Ash shook her head as she ducked under another branch. "I'm trying here! Don't give up on me!" Her lungs hurt and her legs burned from the activity. That still didn't stop her. She knew she had to keep going.** Wait for me, Law! I'm on my way! Just you wait!_

 _ **The voices got louder and started to argue. She ignored them as she ran faster and faster. Suddenly, there was a bright, white light at the end of the forest path. Her heart was pumping, and she knew that she had to get there.**_

 _ **"Hold on! I'm almost there! Don't give up on me!" she shouted as she crossed the barrier of the forest and the light. It was blinding but warm all the same.**_

 _ **"What happened?! Torao?! What is going on with her?!"**_

 _ **"I don't know."**_

 _ **A hand touched her face from above. Ash looked up to see her mother reaching down to her. There was nothing above her. "M-Momma?" Ash reached out a hand to grab hers. Her mother pulled her up and hugged her to her chest like she did when she had her special moments.**_

 _ **"My shining, Ashy Bird." A wetness soaked into her shoulder. It was almost exactly like those times. She let her go and smiled at her. Lillie was still crying.**_

 _ **"Momma, what's wrong?" She went to touch her, but she moved back from her.**_

 _ **"No. You need to leave. It's not your time." A smile graced her mother's sweet, tear-stained face. A white light shone over her head and two lights were attached to her back. They looked to be in the shape of wings. "Someday, your time will come. But not today."**_

 _ **Ash was pushed down by her mother and she started to fall away from her. She heard the words her mother said. It almost broke her heart into a million pieces. Tears fell down her face as Lillie got further and further away from her. Those three little words had a big impact on her as she lost consciousness.**_

 _ **"I love you."**_

...

 **Done. Please, tell me what you think. If you wanted to know, Ash's last name is Bird and her mother's name is Lillie. Hope you like it. Have a great day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**


End file.
